New-York tribune., 1922-08-08
May Run Two Years;
Check-Of Retained
Joint Inquiry Board May
Be Named Wednesday
and Put End to Strike
Special Dispotca TO Tho Trtbuns


CLEVELAND, Aug 7.-Settlement Of
the strike in the bituminous fields that
will send 445,000 coal miners in twenty
one states back to work and relieve q
country wide fuel famine appeared to-
night to be only matter of certain
formalities. The final curtain on this
industrial struggle may descend here
Wednesday.
peace by agreement between the
warning coal operators and mine work
ers is apparently in sight, to continue
for two years from April i next, or
until April 1, 1925.
1t is to be a national settlement
rather than the semi-national or four
state settlement that the mine workers
demanded or the settlement by states
or districts the operators have insisted
upon. Although it is expected to send
the time-honored four-state Joint con-
ference method Of collective bargain
ing definitely into the discard, there
is expected to arise in its place the
first nationwide agreement ever en-
tered into by employer and employees
in the bituminous coal industry.
Presidents Hand Seen
Back of developments late TODAY,
which indicated sudden and dramatic
change in the coal strike situation,
two things appear to stand outs
That the President of the United
States, operating quietly behind the
scenes, has finally brought the strike
to a head, and practically on the
terms he proposed in his settlement
plan, which was rejected in the
Washington conference last month.
That the situation came to a
climax in conference held last
Sunday in the Fort Pitt Hotel, Pitts
burgh, between President A. M. Ogle,
Of the National Coal Association,
and John L. Lewis, of the United
Mine Workers of America, repre-
senting respectively the coal oper-
ators and the mine workers of the
country.
The policy committee of the United
Mine Workers of America met in the
Hollenden Hotel this forenoon. This
afternoon the interstate joint confer
ence committee of operators and mine
workers of the so-called central COM
petitive field states of western Penn
sylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois as
sembled in the same room.
Ohio Operator Chairman
President Lewis made statement to
every one of the 200 in attendance not
to divulge. The four-state joint con-
ference, when it assembled, instead of
proceeding to negotiate basic wage
agreement, as Planned in advance, re-
malned in session only few minutes
and then adjourned, to reassembe at 8
o'clock Wednesday afternoon. In the
few minutes it was in session the
joint conference chose Michael Gala
CHER, of Cleveland, president of the
Pittsburgh Vein Operators Association
of Ohio, chairman; William Green, sec
retary-treasurer of the United Mine
Workers, secretary; w. l.. Robson, of
Cleveland, assistant secretary, and
John M. Rowand, of Columbus. Ohio.
sergeant-at-arms.
At the end Chairman Gallagher and
President Lewis Of the Mine Workers
made this statement, Lewis doing. the
talking:
ut was agreed that the conference,
after being organized, should recess
until Wednesday afternoon, August g.,
at 3 o'clock. This action was taken in
the belief that other substantial in
terests would announce their participa-
tion in the conference by that time"
Lewis Expects End This Week
President Lewis refused to amplify
his statement to say what he meant by
"other substantial interests" nor
whether these interests were part of or
outside of the central competitive field
He did say, however, that ne thought
this week would see the end of the
strike.
Wednesdays meeting also is expect
ed to be brief and consist in action to
reopen the coal mines at the wages
paid when the strike started, April l.,
with the check-off, or company collect
ing of union dues and assessments, con-
tinued, and the taking of steps to
name committees of operators and
mine workers who are to make thor
ough study of the bituminous coal
mining industry. Working conditions
in various districts are to be continued,
it is understood, as at present.