The Washington herald., 1922-08-16
ENDS ESTATE PLAN
Illinois and Indiana Ope-
ratOrs Ask Conference
With Unions.
MORE PRODUCERS
EXPECTED TO SIGN
Reorganization of Soft
Coal Industry May
Follow Agreement.

CLEVELAND. Ohio. Aug. IS
The bituminous coal strike is set
tied. except for Illinois. Indiana and
other regions that declined to enter
the peace parley. An agreement
was signed up this afternoon by
operators representing some eO.-
ooo.oO tons of output and by the
officials Of the United Mine Work
ers
The men are to start back to pits
which sign up as fast as supple
mentary contracts can be made. In
some Ohio. Pennsylvania and West
Virginia properties the whistles will
blow tomorrow morning for the
FIRST time since April l. and the
workers will again get on the job.
The terms of the settlement, in
brief, are:
/. Continuance OF the old waga
scales and working conditions un-
I'll March 81 next.
SuPciasts Foar-state idea.
9. Creation Of machinery to
avert further strikes. As outlined
In the peace terms. il is REGARDED
as one of the most constructive ad-
vances ever made in the bituminous
Industry. Under IL the old -four
State" idea Is supplanted by a ma
tional joint conference plan.
Illinois operators have been
asked for a conference with the
Illinois union officials next Fri
day in Chicago by Frank Earring
ton. Indiana producers have been
ell cd IN
Terre Haute by John Hessler.
Opinion here tonight is that the
terms of peace are so broad that
both Illinois and Indiana will not
long stand out in opposition. Also
another theory on which the pro-
moters of the peace conference
have been strongly banking is that
when some mines start operating.
the natural desire not to sidestep
profits will incline producers to
sign up. Also the fuel famine and
the demand of the public for coal
are regarded as persusders.
Prepare to Open Mines.
is to be taken on the terms OF the
pressed as TO how IL will run.
Pending il. mines are TO open up
as fast as they are ready. OF the
100000 bituminous miners, who
have been out for the last twenty
weeks. II is estimated by some
union officials that $4,000 will be
back st work by Thursday: l5n. 900
by Saturday, 25o.ooo by next Mon
day or Tuesday and most Of the
rest by the end of next week, de-
pending on how output Is affected
by the rail strike
Both sides regard the settlement
as a notable victory for the United
Mine Workers. At the outset, April
l, with 100000 tons of supplies
on hand and the summer approach
ing, the cards seemed stacked
against the mine workers. Union
leaders recognized that the suspen-
sion would have to run FIVE or six
months before IL would exert any
real pressure. The rail strike
served to move up the pinch" a
month or six weeks.
Expected Cat I'm Wages.
On April the great bulk OF the
miners were expecting to take a
reasonable reduction in wages.
After l37 days without work at the
~ odNh at Nuc OlO tCdle
OF wages and under the old work
ing conditions. including the Check
on" The loss is estimated at S.
100000 man days and between 1900
100000 and $500. oo0. 900 in pay rolls.
in addition TO the loss to the opera
tors and the cost to the public in
general. which has been tre-
mendous
Nothing short OF reconciliation
OF the soft coal industry 4. con-
templated in today's aereement-tt
means as much to the bituminous
helds as the Roosevelt commission
did to the anthracite. The machIn-
cry to be set up has the following
skeletons:
1. A national conference. repre-
sentative of the entire bituminous
industry, is to meet in Cleveland
October 8. This 10 contrasted with
the old 'four-State" conference.
To Draft New wage scale.
2. This conference is to sppoint
committee to formulate a method
for negotiating the wage scale for
April 1. This is to be reported to
a joint conference next January 8.
3. The October meeting is also
TO select a committee Of inquiry"
to hnd out all pertinent facts re-
garding the industry In every phase.
1t is to submit its recomme ndations
to the January 8 conference.
4. To reach q proper determine
tion of the controversy. the COM
mittee Of inquiry Is to consider
such factors as a living wage"
responsibility towards contrsctusl
obligations. efficiency of operation
Conftnss6 On Pa0s Tsoo.