The Republican., 1922-01-26
MINING CONFERENCE
HARMONIOUSLY ENDS
Both Sides Accept Bill Drafted by
State Commission with Slight
Modification.


ing law, to be presented the Maryland
General Assembly, concluded Friday
night at Annapolis with both sides
agreeing to the bill in practically its
original form. There were some
notifications in the administrative
part of the proposed law, pertaining
to the duties of the chief engineer
and the inspectors, for the appoint
ment of whom under the merit system
it provides. These changes came as a
result of the pooling of the experien-
ces of both sides.
Oliver Short, Baltimore secretary
and chief examiner of the State EN-
ployment Bureau, explained just how
far the state would go in the opera
tion of the law. 1t would see that all
men eligible for appointment to these
places must be qualified and in the
cases of mine former, an eligible list
is created following examination, The
mine foreman would be given a state
license just like a plumber, or a sta
tionary engineer. He could not be
appointed by coal company unless
he possessed the license which would
be his certificate of qualification.
The draft of the bill will probably
be presented to Governor Ritchie
Monday, preparatory to bringing the
measure before the General Ass ,mbly.
At the initial open meeting at the
City Hall, Thursday morning, both the
miners and operators We're heard.
The Miners representatives agreed
to the act as drawn, but the operators
desired a conference with G. Marshall
Gillette, general manager Of the
Maryland District of the Consolida-
ton Coal Company, who is their rep
resentative on the commission and a
seperate conference which ran late
up into the evening was held at the
office of the Davis Coal and Coke
Company. At the open meeting in the
morning, two provisions of the act,
which has multitudious features,
were objected to by operators and
their amendments were accepted by
Charles T. Clayton, attorney for the
mipers, who declared, in his opinion,
they We're even more beneficial to the
men than the original provisions,
The miners representatives accept
ed the bill in toto, but the operators
wished to confer among themselves
and have a further hearing before the
commission. The operators had been
studying the bill as individuals and as
there were some divergent opinions,
it was thought well to meet among
themselves, compare views and reach
some conclusion which will be report
ed at a later session Of the commits
sion
Secretary Short, Baltimore, of the
State Employment Bureau, was at the
conference in the morning to explain
how the law would function in con-
nection with that particular depart
ment. 1t was stated that Governor
Ritchie's reorganization plan reduces
some eighty-odd bureaus in the state
to 49, Among them will be an indie
pendent department, the eleventh in
the Governors plan, to be known as
the Department of Labor and Statis-
ties. In that department is created a
bureau of mines, headed by a mining
engineer, who will be selected, follow
ing examination, according to merit
and fitness and he need not necessar-
lily be citizen of the State. He will
be a technical man and must show an
average of 85 in the examination
There will be two or more district in
spectors, also to be selected on the
merit plan. They must show an aver
age of 70 per cent in the examination.
All mine former are to be selected
from a merit list and the inspectors
will be named from the topnotchers
of this list of eligibles provided by the
examining board of the bureau. The
mineforemen are given certificates of
competency. 1t does not give him a
job necessarily but entities him to be
employed as mine foreman by the coal
operators. The examining board is
made up of the chief engineer of the
bureaus of mines and of representa-
tives of the miners and operators.
Politics is entirely eliminated in max
ing all appointments in connection
with the operation of the bureau.
C. T. Clayton, the legal representa-
tive of the miners, is former news
paper man of Lonaconing and Mid
land and later was private secretary
to Congressman David J. Lewis. Mr..
Clayton is now a practicing attorney
of Washington. He has held impor"
tant positions in connection with the
Department of Labor.