Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-08
PRESIDENT Will.
CALL FOR Mine
WAGE MEETING
Instructs Secretary Davis to
Advise Operators Of Ad-
ministration Stand
STRIKE IS PROBABLE
Harding Takes Position That by This
Action He Will Be Keeping Faith
With Operators and Miners

Washington, March S.-With re-
ports coming in constantly of miners
local unions voting overwhelmingly
in favor of strike in the soft-coal
fields on April /, President Harding
Yesterday admonished Secretary Da-
Wis, of the Department of Labor, to
move at once in stating to the coal
operators the Government view that
they should enter the joint wage con-
ference which the miners have been
vainly seeking.
This became known at the White
House following the meeting of the
Cabinet. The Presidents directions to
Mr.. Davis were explicit and positive,
and it is assumed that Mr.. Davis has
acted or will act without further de-
lay, although no statement could be
got from him this afternoon. Last
week it was stated at the Labor De-
partment that Mr.. Davis probably
would write to the operators today or
tomorrow.
There is little hope in Administra-
ton circles that the strike can be
averted. On form, what Mr.. Harding
directed Secretary Davis to do is to
ask the coal operators to go into con-
terence with the miners and fix new
wage scale, effective April /.
That is in accord with an Admins
tration decision reached days ago, but
not carried out. What it really
amounts to is a statement Of the Adj
ministration's view that the coal op-
orators are in the wrong in refusing
to enter joint wage conference for
the purpose Of arranging a new scale
to take the place of the existing one,
which will expire on March'3f ''.''T
Mr., Harding describes the action
Secretary Davis is directed to take as
excepting the faith" His position is
that the Wilson Administration in
fluenGei the framing of the present
wage agreement. That was when the
miners were in strong position. In
that agreement was provision that
before it expired the operators and
miners were to meet in JOINT confer
ellce to frame an agreement to take It's
place. President Harding thinks that
the Administration is under mora! OBJ
legation to use its influence now to
bring about the promised conference.
1t seems clear that even should the
operators weaken, under Government
pressure. in their direct or tacit re-
fusals to the miners to enter JOINT
conference and 90 into one, the result
would be deadlock.
There is bare chance that they
would reach an agreement with the
miners representatives, and another
bare chance that truce could be
agreed upon that would prevent, tenn
porarilv at least, the strike. But
everything that comes from both sides
leads to the conclusion that the opera
tors are not willing To continue the
present wage scale, as the miners ask,
or anything like it.
There may be. however. this much
practical gain from the Adminlstra-
lions move: The coal operators must
make rcnly to communication from
the Government, and they may set
forth the position of the operators IN
the central competitive field as a
whole.
Mr. Davis will write to the several
associations of operators in that held,
and those associations in the past
have been merged into Il unit in nc@o-
tiations for basic soft-coal wage
IF their rcplies follow a common
lire. so that they can be taken as an
authoritative statement of the position
Of all the operators, that statement
may he set off in comparison to the
wage stand taken by the miners IN
their Indianapolis convention. AND
that will give a definite starting point
in public opinion for possible interven-
tion of the Government and Tor pr'-
vate negotiations between the repre-
sentatives Of the operators and the
miners.
Meantime. both the operators and
The miners are preparing themselves
for the struggle. The former are
making arrangements to keep their
mines in operation with non-unlon la-
bor 50 far as may be necessary to mcc'
their contracts. They expect to be
able to employ some members OF the
union who are unable to stand the
financial strain of a strike, as well as
men always outside the union.
And the miners are preparing 10
make the most of their financial re-
sources. and, more important per.
hans. of the advantage they get
through the Presidents position IN
favor of joint conference, in the
play for the support of public opinion.
Danville-Robert. Barker, a tarme
of Henry Co.. was shot ana almost
instantly killed By Louis lslev near