The Little River news., 1922-07-19
HARDING TO MAKE
 ONE MORE EFFORT
Will Attempt to Effect Compromise in Mine Strike SituatiOn-May
 Be An Ultimatum.

w WdoHlISlOu, July 1o.-fGeSlueuL Harding will make a final effort to- morrow to settle the coal mine strike before resorting to the power of the government to force resumption of full coal production.
 When he receives the reply of the operators to his arbitration proposal a compromise between the positions of the miners and the operators which he will ask both sides to accept
 That the president still believes there is room for a pacific settlement Of the dispute became known tonight while the operators were in session discussing the reply they plan to make tC MT. Harding tomorrow. The oper- ators adjourned without action to meet ,omorrow for final decision on their reply In the meantime they will eau GUS by districts.
 Minera May Reconsider.
 It was learned that the president does not regard the miners. rejection yesterday of his arbitration plan as final and that ha has been given am pie reason for this conviction by Sec retary of Labor Davis, who is ill close ] touch with John L. Lewis. president of the United Mine Workers
 Lending color to this interpretation of the attitude of the miners is the fact that the Policy Committee of the union has remained in Washington, and is to meet again tomorrow morn ing. It is reported that Lewis has held the committee here at the in stance of administration officials, who believe that the reply of the operators will leave room for further negotia- tion for basis of settlement i The understanding is that if the president is able to work out a fair compromise he will put it up to the miners and operators to accept with out further question, in default, of which compliance he will proceed to exert the authority of the government to reopen the closed mines.
 With A. M. Ogle, president of the National Coal Association, presiding more than 50. operators were in ses- sion to a late hour debating the att1- tude they are to adopt toward the presidents settlement proposal. Opin- ion was greatly divided, and the last word from the assembly room was that the reply could be evolved until 1 tomorrow.
 Owners Fear Bankruptcy. . The operators were unanimous, however, in asserting that they could not accept the presidents plan uncon- 'dl ionally without courting bankrupt cy. It was contended that under the presidents arbitration plan it would be possible for the miners to force the indefinite continuation of the old high wage scale, which would mean no re- duction in the cost of coal mined 1n the union mines and the inability of the union mines to compete with the nonunion mines.
 The operators also voiced obJec- tions to the establishment of the na- tional wage scale. They continue to stand out for the collective bargain ing by districts or limited to the cen tral competitive fields and are averse to acceptance of an arbitration plan admitted the possibility of national contract being forced upon them.
 The leaders among the operators ad- vocated making reply to the presi- dent setting forth in detail what DOT tions of his plan they can accept and what portions they feel compelled to reject. It was evident, however, that the reply is being prepared with the i contingency of further negotiations with miners in mind It therefore, presumably will not represent final concessions on the part of the operat- ors any more than the Policy Commit tees reply to the president yesterday is believed to fall short of final conces- sions on the part of the miners.