The Washington herald., 1922-02-26
OPERATORS MEET
ANTHRACITE MEN
in n. Y. MARCH Is
Atlantic City Conference
Plans Negotiations to
Avert Coal Strike.

PHILADELPHIA Pa. Feb. rs
Arrangements for a meeting in New
York on March Is, with representa-
tives of the United Mine Workers
of America, was made at the con-
ference Of the general policy COM
mittee Of the anthracite coal oper-
ators at Atlantic City, which end
ed today.
s. B. Warriner. president Of the
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com
pany and chairman OF the commit
tee, announced that he had sent a
letter to John L. Lewis, president
of the union, arranging for the con-
ference.
'T regret that so little time Is
available before the termination of
| our present agreements as to rem
der our negotiations hurried" the
letter read, but under the circum-
stanes your suggestions of the time
and place Is agreeable to u.s."
The letter was in reply to one re-
ceived from Lewis several days ago
inviting the operators to confer
coal strike. y
Coal prices must come down and
corresponding reduction In the
miners wages must be made in the
opinion of Warriner. The price
of anthracite coal Is now very
high" he said. Prices have got TO
come down to meet the general sit
uation. The prosperity of the mine
workers as well as the general
good of the consuming public. whom
We recognize as the third party to
the negotiations, require the defia
tion.
Labor Cost Importsnt,
The labor cost in mining an
thracite COAL" he continued, "is a
very large part of the total cost.
The miners have got to share in
bringing down the total cost. We
propose to meet with the workers
and discuss the matter with them.
We hope that we viii arrive at
some agreement. However, the sit
uation is a very difficult one In view
of the actions taken at the Shame
kin convention"
warriner said that no official de-
mand had been made on the coal
operators, although 1t was under
stood from press reports that the
miners were going to demand a 20
per cent increase in wages.
The meeting of the general poll
cies committee of the anthracite
operators in Atlantic City was held
solely to consider the general labor
situation. Warriner said.
I'VE met simply. to consider the
present labor situation in its vari-
GUS aspects" he declared. I'VE can
not decide anything definite on
wages until the miners demands
are presented to- US officially.
| While I am not empowered to speaR
authoritatively. can say that we
unanimously feel that the present
| situation is one in which we cannot
expect the price of anthracite coal
to deviate in any great part from
that Of other commodities.
The price OF anthracite coal Is
now very high: 1t must come down.
The miners for their own pros
| perity, H for no other reason, have
got to share In the general reduc-
ton. The labor cost is a large part
Of the total cost: and although
freight and distribution enter into
total cost. we cannot regulate that
ourselves"
Reduction I'm Wages.
do you think there will be a
reduction in miners wagesT War
riner was asked.
'T do not see any other answer"
he replied. Nobody can hold aloof
from the effects. Of any economic
disturbance. The situation, how
ever, is a 'difficult one"
The letter which Lewis sent War
riner follows:
The wage agreement in the an
thracite coal fields between the an
thracite coal operators and the
United Mine Workers of America.
districts I, and .. terminates on
March 81, 1922. In recognition Of
this fact. the international conven-