Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-04-04
No DETECTION
IN OPERATORS
ORGANIZATION
Overtures Are Made by
Independent Concerns,
Spokesman Says.
Production Negligible,
AttitudeUnimportant,
Claim Of Employers.

New York. April 3-ITnion leaders
claimed the first victory for the strik
ing anthracite miners here Monday
when they announced several indepcnd
ent companies had offered to grant all
of the 10 wage demands if the men
would return to their jobs Immediately.
The offer first was made by William
Peck, president Of the Grove Hill Min
ing company of Peckvile. Pa. accord
ing to William J. Brennan. of Scranton,
Pa. president of the United Mine
Workers of America in district No. /.
1t was followed. he said, by similar
offers from other small independent
mine operators" in the Scranton area.
That this signified a breach in the
ranks Of organized mine owners was
denied by members of the anthracite
operators association. They branded
owners who had made such offers as
independent operators of wagon mines
whose production was negligible fac
tor in the outcome of the strike. The
Grove Hill company is not even affili-
ated with the organization of inde-
pendent operators. they asserted.
Operators Pooh, Pooh Claim
Such offers will not win the strike
and viii have no effect on the stand
for reduction in wages. taken by the
operators association" said W. w
Ingls president Of the Glen Alden Coal
company. of Scranton, and a member
of the miners and operators sub -coR-
mittee on wage contract negotiations.
in session here.
Union leaders were optimistic. how
ever. According to Philip Murray.
vice president Of the United Mine
Workers international organization. |
the willingness of these smaller oper-
ators to continue production on a basis |
of higher wages to the miners is ample |!
proof that there is no reason why big |
operators employing thousands of men
should refuse to acrede to our de- |!
mands.
This. the third calendar day Of the |
anthracite and bituninous strike. which |
began April !. was one of charges and
counter charges, for which business of
the wage contract negotiations com /
mittee virtually was suspended. /
Charges and Counter Charges !
Operators charged that union pickets
bearing strike literature were invading
nonunion bituminous fields of Pennsyl
vania and exhorting workmen TO lay
GOWN IufiT lboiS.
To this district leaders here re
torted that L. W. w. literature was
being circulated in strike areas calling
on union men to join the l. W. w
zone big union.
IF these men arc being paid for
such work. and we understand they
are. the money must be coming from
the pockets of the operators" decIar-
ed Thomas Kennedy. president of dis
trict No. l. 1t evidently was an at
tempt of the mine owners to disrupt
the morale of the strikers. he said.
Charges that several Of the larger
anthracite operators were violating
provisions of the suspension agree
ment brought threats from district
labor chiefs, that they would withdraw
mine property during the shutdown.
Violate Agreement, Charge
Operators were discharging union
men loft on duty as pump men. engin-
GERS. firemen a.d stable men and sub
stituting non union saared foremen
and clerks. it was asserted. in direct
violation of an agreement subscribed
to by the wage negotiations ub-com-
mittee only last week
The Sub-cOmmitin ne's wage discus
sions temporarily were abandoned to $
settle this phase of the strike. The /
four operator members Of the commit I
tee denied all knowledge OF such dis
missals Of union maintenance men. d
During two hour discussion of q
their demand No 6 for a new contract I
based upon Saving wage" scale. the ,
nj ncrS introduced before the subcon i
mittee on wage contract negotiations. n
n budget prepared by Professor Viii a
liam f. Ogburn. of Columbia univer-
sity He set S1.SOO a year as the
minimum income for a miner with ',
wife and four children who wished TO :. !
live in the anthracite region "decently
and comfortably"
Need $4,000 Income $
To bring this income up to a basis r
of saving wage. the miners contend
ed. would require an annual income of il
1000. based upon budgets prepared b
by the United States bureau of labor g
statistics. They pointed out that if $
their demands for a $500 wage for ii
lay men were granted. miners working
27O days year would receive only N
s1.4O4 in that time.
Mr.. Murray announced the miners
would complete introduction of testi- n
nony this week. The operators then r,
will be prepared. they said. to refute d,
he arguments for increased wages OF
Y tn Testimony in support of their de- n,
nand that wages should be lowered. f.