Evening star., 1922-03-15
MINERS
MEET OPERATORS;
STRIKE PREDICTED
19 Demands of Men to Be
Presented and Answer
Made on Friday.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,. March 15-
Dixapproval OF the appointment Of
a governmental commission to ef-
feet n xettIement of the threatened
in a telegram sent Secretary Of
Labor Davis by President Frank
Harrington of the Illinois Mine
Workers at noon today.
NEW YORK, March 15.-Anthracite
miners and operators were prepared
today to begin negotiations for new
wage agreement to take the place of
the two-year contract which expires
at the end Of this month. A large
number of operators arrived to par
ticipate in the first joint conference
this afternoon. A majority of the
representatives of the miners COM
prisng the scale committee have been
in the city several days conferring,
the last to arrive being President
John L. Lewis Of the international
organization of the United Mine
Workers.
The nineteen demands OF the
miners. formulated at their .conven-
ton in Shanokin, Pa, in January
and ratified b. the international con-
vention at Indianapolis last month.
are to be formally presented to the
coal operators and explained in detail
by officers of the union. The opera
tors are expected to Immediately take
them under consideration and make a
statement of their position on Friday.
The miners are asking for a 20 per
cent increase on contract rates.
among other things. while the mine
decrease below the present working
basis.
No Referendum Taken.
It is not expected that an agree
ment will be reached before the end
of the month. and in that event the
scale committee Of the hard coal
workers is under instructions Of the
Stamokin con, ention to order a sus-
pension Of mining until a satisfac-
tory agreement is in sight. a refer
endum on the question of suspension
was not taken in the anthracite fields,
the action of the convention having
expressed wishes of the men. The
national policy committee of the mine
workers has the power to set aside
a suspension, IL 1t sees ft, but, ac-
cording to union leaders here, such
action is not likely. 1t is the opinion
of miners and many Of the operators
that a suspension in the hard coal
fields Of Pennsylvania is certain. II
1t comes. it is expected there will be
a complete cessation Of production,
as on two former occasions when nego-
tiations were dragged ever many weeks.
A shortage of anthracite coal is
not anticipated unless the expected
suspension should run into the summer,
which is not looked for by the miners.
The demand for coal during the win
ter was below normal, due to mild
weather and high prices. but despif.
this the anthracite mines have been
kept steadily at work, in contrast to
those in the bituminous fields, and
there is a fair supply Of Goa! on hand
both in the big storage yards of the
mining companies and in the larger
retail yards of the east, 1t was said.
Will Resist Any Cut.
The miners enter the joint confer
ence determined, they said. to resist
with all their power any effort 10 re-
duce their present wage scale as in
dicated by the operators. There must
be no backward STEP" President
Lewis has said. and the miners have
declared themselves as unanimous IN
supporting him.
Beyond the general statement that
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