New-York tribune., 1922-04-04
Discounted by Employers
Anthracite Farley Here Re-
ceives Data on Minimum
Pay Required by the Men

CHitcC MiNe " orHerS OF America, an
nounced that the Grove Hill Coal Com
pany, Inc, OF Peckville, Pa. has offered
to accedc to the demands of the miners,
including the 81 c day increase in tne
pay Of day workers. an advance Of 20
per cent to contract miners and al,
the other nineteen points insisted upon
by the union. Similar offers have been
received from several other operators,
said Mr.. Murray. Their names he was
not prepared to make public, however.
The Grove Hill mine Is in the Scran-
ton field, employing fifty-one men.
While relatively unimportant, said Mr..
Murray, its action was significant as
signaling the first break in the ranks
of the operators. 1t meant, too, he
added, that the demands of the workers
are not unreasonable, and that if they
can be met by the small mine owner
they can be met by the large operators.
Discounted by Operators
The matter, however, wss discounted
by the operators. w. L. Connell, rep
resenting the independent mine own
ers at the conference, said he never
it was not associated with his group
capitulation."
Major W. ". Inglis, one OF the op-
orators representatives at the nego-
tions here, said: "Such offers will not
win the strike and will have no effect
on the stand for reduction in wages
taken by the operators organization
The head OF this company, William
Peck" said Mr.. Murray to-day, met
William J. Brennan, president, and
other officials of District 10. i. includ-
ing the Scranton field, and offered 20
accede to all the miners demands. The
operator was Informed that the offer
would be placed before the policy com
mittec for the three Pennsylvania dis
tricts. This committee probably will
meet here before the end Of the week.
Several other small operators have
made similar offers, but we are not
ready to make thei- names known at
this time. We don't know their con-
nections, and The number OF men in
volved may be small, bit the signit!-
cance Of their surrender .s unquestion-
able. We regard it as an important
victory"
Known as Nagon Mine"
/ It was said that the Grove Hi,
mine was so small that it Lad no rail
| facilities and was, in fact, what IS
| known SIS wagon mine" name gen
orally applied to the properties of
operators who peddle their product
from wagons to householders and small
| business concerns in the vicinity.
I The operators il the course OF yes
terday's conference as the Union
League Club heard the complaint Of
the miners representatives that some
! 1900 of the 1000 men, union engineers,
! f-en,en. purnplnen and stocknen, per-
mitted TO continue work in protecting
mining property had been displaced
! b. forenien and other subordinates rot
members Of The union. Thomas Ken
I uedy. president CT District 10. +, who
! presented the matter, said il was I.
direct abrogation Of The. agreement
/ signed last Week, under which tie men
were permitted to remain at their
posts.
Major Inghs said the nanes Of the
alleged offending companies were re-
corded and an investigation begun.
The workers representatives indicated
that ii this question is not soon obvi-
ated there was possibility of the en-
| tire 1000 maintenance men being called
out.
Data on Living Costs
! The miners continued the presenta-
! tion o. their data or tho cost Of living
and the monetary requirements Tor the
support Of the average miners family.
I'VE presented figures" said N-r. Muir
ray, Showing that the annual amount
average size Of miners family, in
decency and comfort, s $500. This
however. does not include saving
wage, which would necessitate a lnini-
, mum income of $4,000 year."
/ Mr.. Murray said that the figures
were prepared for the union men by
Professor William F. Ogbura. of Co
lumbia University. He added that the
! data were supplemented by statistics 0.
tne United States Bureau of Labor
! Ine miners representatives. expect &c
/ complete the presentation OF their case
I before the end Of the week, said llr
/ Murray, wlereuron the operators will
offer their reply.
siderable wrangling over the charge O.
i operators tAar union pickets bearing
! strike literature were invading non,
union bituminous fields Of Pcnnsyl-
vania and cs;horting workmeI. to la5
down theic tools. District leaders re-
torted that I. u. ". literature was be-
| ing circulated in strike stricken areas
calling on union men to Join the I. x
". zone big union" "If these men are
] Delng paid Tor such WORK., SAID Mr
Kennedy, "the money must be coming
from the pockets Of the operators. II
I is evidently n attempt on che part OF
the operators to disrup. the morals Of
the strikers"
There IS possibility tAat one mine
Of the Philadelphia Coal and lroa
Company viii BIS permitted to cor.
tinue operations in compiiances with
r request made to the operators by c
L. Golden, president Of District No. 8
at yesterdays conference. M. Golden
made the proposal on the ground that
miner employed in the company's
Locust. Gap Mine near Hazleton, Pa.
! had disappeared about a month ago
and that thirty men have been work
f! ing there to find him.
Mr.. Golden also discussed the United
Mine Workers scheme for the nation.
alization OF the mines placed before
the House Labor Committee in Wash
ington yesterday by John l.. Lewis
Mr. Golden is member % the union
committee chat is drawing up the plsr
for the proposed naturalization. He
said that while these plans were not
yet completed the first move Of the
miners in connection with the scheme