Evening star., 1922-07-13
COAL HEADS
IN CONFERENCE ON
PRESIDENTS PLAN
Labor Department Official
and Operators Seek Terms
on Proposal.
By the Associated Press.

ny thS hbsOClAtcu Ecb6.
Representatives of bituminous coal
operators associations went into con-
ference today with Secretary Of
Labor Davis after comforting with
Hugh Kerwin. chief of the bureau of
conciliation of the Department Of
Labor.
The conference was understood to
involve possible interpretations of
President Harding's proposal to bring
the nationwide coal strike to an end.
The operators included Harry Taylor
Of Kansas City, president of -the
Transmississippi Coal Association and
the Southwestern coslSAssociation.
which embraces Mississippi. Kansas,
Oklahoma. IowRNnd Wyoming: Erskin
Ramsey Of Afabama and Joshua Nor
wood QS1owa- Mr.. Taylor has been
the -A6or leader for the bituminous
srfrators at their various conferences
held in Washington since the coal
strike situation became acute.
Although the anthracite operators
have submitted what President Hard
ing Ia said to regard ~ . complete
acceptance Of the governments offer
Of arbitration. the situation with re-
gard to the bituminous operators and
the miners union continued under a
cloud OF uncertainty today. with both
sides pursuing a policy obviously dis
turbing to administration officials.
Declaring the intention Is to delay
or evade an immediate response, high
officials see In the course pursued a
disposition to reject the governments
settlement plan IL public opinion
Two Conditions Named.
The anthracite operators attached
two conditions to their acceptance OF
arbitration yesterday, one that a sep
arate commission be required to sub
init a decision by August 10, agree
ing In the meantime to pay the wage
rate Of March 81 as suggested In the
Presidents proposal. They asked
that the proposed separate commits
sion should be required to set up a
permanent method by which wages
and working conditions would be
adjusted automatically" in the fu-
ture, and proposed that to assure a
bipartisan adjudication the COM
mission be composed of three repre-
sentatives of the public and only one
miner and one operator.
John L. Lewis. president of the
United Mine Workers of America and
other officials Of that organization
called on Secretary Davis yesterday
and were understood to be endeavor-
ing to induce the President to make
tho arbitration proposals apply to all
the partially unionized territory as
we'll as the mining area shutdown by
the bituminous strike. So far as the
willingness of anthracite operators to
settle was concerned, Mr.. Lewis said.
arbitration in the anthracite heids
would be considered by the mine
workers along with the bituminous
arbitration proposals at the general
policy committee meeting Saturday"
Public Representatives.
Declaring that the anthracite in
dustry had no problems of part-time
employment. but had entirely differ
ent conditions Of work and living
than In the bituminous fields and that
a commission now appointed to oper-
ate should be required to set up a
permanent method "by which wages
and working conditions In the future
can be automatically adjusted" the
operators asked the President to name
three representatives of the public on
the board and only one miner and one
operator. This. 1t was held. would as
sure a non-partisan adjudication. A
decision from such commission, they
declared, they would accept without
Excavation or qualification"
MI Lewis and union oflcials. who
have profeased themselves powerless
10 answer the arbitration tender
without summoning their general
policy committee. suggested tnat the
government arrange to apply tne
Of waaes in practically all the terri
tory which the union claims as its
own. in the minee OF Washington
state. and those OF West Virginia
and Pennsylvania, were some pro-
duction has been accomplished; Mingo
county. West Virginia the scene OF
mine disturbances in recent months,
and Somerset county, Pennsylvania,
where mines working for steel out:
nut were considered non-union until
the present strike, were included In
Mr.. Lewis list.
Blow to Arbitration.
A high onicial discussing the pro-
posals said this was equivalent to
asking that the Presidents offer of
arbitration in ''the mines not now
working" be changed to an offer Of
arbitration in all mines. 1t was
strongly intimated that the govern
mene could not force every operator
of the 5000 in the country to accept
findings Of such q commission, and
that the request was intended to
The bitumfnous- operators oblec-
!: Icontinued On PesS 2. caessn . !,
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