The Washington herald., 1922-08-07
Operators Representing
80 Per Cent of Produc.
tion Ready to Confer.
SCALE AGREEMENT
HELD POSSIBLE
Scattered Units Strongly
Bound By Ohio BIZ
luminous Men.

CLEVELAND. Ohio. Aug. e.-The
early end Of the miners strike in
the bituminous fields depends
largely upon the number of coal
operators who will walk into the
assembly room here tomorrow. II
enough Of them appear the chances
for settlement will BE- good.
The Interstate scale conference of
miners and operators will be called
to order at 10 a. m. Its purpose
will be to bring about an agreement
upon which the employees Of the op-
orators represented will return to
their pits and start cutting coal.
The union officials would then
take this agreement around to the
other operators.all over the country
and get as many as possible of them
to sign. II they succeeded pretty
generally. the strike would be over.
Thirty Per Cent on Hand.
1t was practically certain tonight
that operators producing at least
81. 100000 tons of coal yearly would
be here in person or by delegate
This amounts to approximately 80
per cent OF the production of the
old central competitive field and
enough. in the judgment of many
of the Cleveland operators. to swing
the other 40 per cent to any rea-
sozabIe agreement.
On toniyht's indications the ton
mage represented will be scattered
through Ohio. Western Penasyl-
vania. West Virginia. Indiana and
Illinois-strongest in Ohio and
weakest in Indiana.
The fact that the units repre-
sented are well scattered is one of
the best tokens Of the meeting's
success. miners delegates asserted.
Ohio Strongly Represented.
1t is conceded on both sides that
the conference will not duplicate the
central competitive field conference
which failed to prevent the strike
of 1919 or the later one which failed
tc settle the strike of 1920. These
were conferences representing prac-
tically all the organized operators
in the old four-State field. Tomor-
rows meeting will be made up Of
majority and official representation
from the other States.
The aggregate of the Ohio ma
jority and the surrounding States
minorities. if they sign an agree
ment with the miners. will be great
enough to end the strike. repre-
sentatives of both sides asserted to-
day
Relieves Rest VIII Sign.
A Cleveland operator said tina;
when a single large employer signs
scale in a district. the rest of the
district usually signs. This has been
his observation in twenty years ex-
perience.
President John l. Lewis. OF the
United Mine Workers of America
reached Cleveland tonight. He came
from Philadelphia. where he has
been for the past ten days working
to organize the Cleveland confer
ence other miners officials drifted
in during the day. A large group
of miners came from Western Penn
sylvania and Northern West Nir-
ginia-
Lewis announced that he was "op-
| timistic as to the possible results
of the meeting. He said:
II am optimistic as to the pos
sible results OF the meeting with the
coal operators this week I am hope
full. however. that within a few days
it will be possible to work out an
agreement satisfactory to the pub
lie. miners and operators. which
will result in an early resumption
of bituminous mining"