Evening star., 1922-07-05

Whether the weeks vacation till next
Monday taken by the bituminous miners
and operators conference will serve to
cool their differences or strengthen each
in the position taken was question
circles yesterday.
Both miners and operators officially
maintained the seal of secrecy which
they said had been placed upon them
; at the conference, although there was
very apparent straining at the leash IN
| a wish to discuss the issues.
One thing about which there was no
secret was that both sides resented the
executive sessions forced upon them.
and enforced with a heavy hand, by
representatives of the government. The
operators would like to talk, the miners
would like to talk.
Both Sides Itch to Talk.
There was veritable itching on the
part Of both to get at puDnc d!s-
cussion Of the proposal submitted by
the operators at the meeting Monday,
at which adjournment was taken Tor
week Miners wished to declare why
they had objected to the suggestion or
the operators that the twenty-five MIN
ing districts in which the country now
is proportioned should be redistricted to
a fewer number, variously reported TO
have been from seven to ten.
Operators were eager to tell why
they had presented the proposal and
that they had done it in spirit OF
constructive helpfulness. The recess
the proposal home and think over
the whole situation, with what the
government hopes will be subsiding
of the feeling Of antagonism now ap-
parent.
With the rail strike in its incep-
tion and the production Of coal grow
ing less weekly. there was DISPOSE
tion in some quarters outside the con-
ference, but in touch with the situation.
to regard matters somewhat in the
nature of an approaching crisis
Talk of the railroad strike fnevi-
tably drifted into discussion Of the
coal strike, and the action of the
Railway Labor Board in declaring
striking shopmen as outlaws was a
subject of animated consideration on
both sides.
Shy at Coal Labor Board.
The government is known to be as
firmly behind the Railway Labor Board,
nouncement. as it is firmly behind
the movement to bring settlement
of some kind OF the coal strike.
But suggestion, informally. that there
might be a possibility OF the govern
ment establishing coal labor board.
similar to the Railway Labor Board. met
with cold reception of frigid silence in
all coal circles, both miner and op-
orator The government had declared
it was going to get out OF business, IL
was said-therefore would the gov,
ernment find it necessary to take hold
of the coal industry as it had the
railways?
Digging deeper into the capital
union problem, there was some specu-
lation as to how far the government
means to go in solution OF TINS par
ticular eventuality. So far the govern
ment has advanced no scheme of solu-
ton, it was learned. No official pro-
posal had been presented to the con-
ferees. though there was some un-
official rumor that the government
might suggest small committee OF
miners and operators to remain in
Washington during the week of the
conference recess. This suggestion.
though never officially presented, was
learned to be unacceptable to both
operators and miners.
In view of the Presidents avowed
policy of bringing the parties to the
controversy together without any
government coercion as to the plans
of adjustment Of difficulties, 1t was
learned that so far there had been no
heavy pressure felt. except in the
the admonition to executive sessions.
Wanted Fight to Finish.
The operators, it was learned un-
officially, would rather have stayed
in the field and fought out the strike
to a finish, without the calling of the
conference here. The intimation was
freely given that before the calling
of the conference there had been
strong feeling that the operators
could break the strike. and that the
mines might otherwise have been
placed in operation within a month
in some sections
Miners came here, however. strong
in the contention that the strike was
justified and hoping that out of the
Washington conference would come
some understanding whereby wage
scale conference on a national or
semi-national scale could be ar
ranged to take the place Of the one
which they claim was never held
through fault of the operators. The
contention for national and interstate
confer ences on the part of the miners
was understood to be as strong as
when they arrived, with vigorous OBJ