The Washington herald., 1922-03-18
Sec'y Davis Reveals Sum-
mary of Their Re-
plies.
REFLECTIONS VARY
ONLY IN INTENSITY
Pittsburgh Group Posi-
lively Declines-Strike
Believed Certain.

Secretary of Labor Davis and
other Federal officials have de-
SPARED of bringing about a joint
conference of coal operators of the
central competitive field sand the
miners to avert the threatened
strike on April l.
The Secret airy of Labor yesterday
made public a summary of the situ-
alton as it exists, following the
negotiations he had conducted with
the operators to assure a joint con-
ference. He made no comment on
the summary. which shows a great
majority Of the operators have re-
fused to participate in the proposed
conference. This refusal has led to
the conviction on the part of Fed
cral officials that the strike prob
ably cannot be averted.
Cites Conference Agreement.
In the statement issued from the
Department Of Labor the obligation
for the proposed conference is
quoted from the minutes of confer
ence of operators and miners in
New York in 1920, which reads as
follows:
Resolved. that an interstate joint
conference be held prior to April l,
1879; the time and place Of holding
such meeting is referred to a COM
mittee of two operators and two
miners from each State herein rep
resented. together with the interna-
ti"nal officers of the United Mine
Workers organization"
The record shows that John l.
lewis. president of the United Mine
Workers. invited the operators. un-
'cr provision of the foregoing reso-
r'ion to meet in Pittsburgh. Janu-
~ s. this year. but withdrew the
all later because of unsatisfactory
rapIies. which indicated that full
Tendance could not be secured. A
.~-uTd call was issued by Lewis for
''Jrch .. hut with the same unsat-
: factory results.
Operators Replies.
Following these failures the
-ratement shows that the Secretary
- LABOR at the request Of the Pres
'd"ut. On February "a. took up the
"'r"stiOn of securing the desired
" 0fcrence, with the following re-
suits:
Western Pennsylvania: The Pitts
HurCh Coal Producers Association
positively declined to join in the re-
newal of the central competitive
States greement-therefore atten-
dance at agreed conference deemed
useless so far as they are con-
cerned: but will meet with their
own miners to negotiate an agree
ment without the check oft. The
Pittsburgh operators have posted a
w e scale effective April which
cal for a reduction Of 35 to 40
per cent.
Pittsburgh and West Virginia
Railway Coal Operators Associa-
tion and Pan Handle Coal Opera
tors Association: Request the right
competitive State conference. al
though they had not been included
in the previous conferences of said
States
Two Favorable in Ohio.
Ohio: The Southern Ohio Coal Op-
orators Association decline to JOIN
in any Interstate agreement but
will meet their own employees to
negotiate one These were parties
TO all other ce..tral competitive
States agreements. They contend
that the miners claims in excess of
the bituminous commissions award
as per agreement of March 81. 1920.
disrupted the interstate movement.
and that methods of arriving at the
interstate wage agreement have
been challenged in the Federal
courts as violation of the Sherman
antitrust laws
Tho Eastern Ohio Coal Operators
Association at first declined to join IN
any interstate wage agreement for
-amc reasons as Pittsburgh. Later
~ agreed to attend a March : meet
ing II operators OF all four States
attended. Five prominent coal op-
orators of this association suggested
a joint conference Of all the union
mines in the United States. The
Central Ohio Coal Operators Asso-
citation also suggested a joint con-
ference OF the entire industry, or es-
pecially Of the union mines. The
No. S Ohio Coal Operators protested
against a central competitive States
meeting. but are willing to meet rep
resentatives of their employees and
their union officers to negotiate their
own scale.
The Indiana Coal Operators As
sociation accepted the invitation OF
first called meeting January s, also
to the meeting called March .. but
this second acceptance was qualified
by an expression of futility of such
a conference after the declaration Of
miners policy and demands framed
at their Indianapolis convention on
February I.
The Illinois Coal Operators As
sociation. Operators Association -
fifth and ninth districts-and Central
Illinois Coal Operators Association:
TEase three associations, represent
iEC the whole State are ready to at
tend any conference of the central
competitive States without qualifica-
tions-and request a conference with
the representatives Of their own en-
ployes and State officials of the
United Mine Workers of America II
President Lewis fails to secure a
conference OF said four central COM
petitiye States before March 81,
1922.
Millionaire to Serve Sentence.