Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-25
STRIKE OF MINERS
/. MAY Be AvERTED BY
|. LABOR HEADS STAND
Secretary Davis Planning Con-
ference Of Coal Operators
and Employees.
INSISTS ON NEW TERMS

By Associated Press to Every Evening
Washington, Feb. 25.-- Secretary Of
Labor Davis had under way today the
action contemplated by President
Harding 20 bring about n conference
between the bltumlnous coal opera
tors and mine workers prior 10 April |. &.
Wage contracts now existing in
union fields expire at that time and q
failure TO replace them with new
agreement is considered likely 20 be
followed by a nationwide strike affect
ine all union operations.
/ While government officials were
plainly disposed TO maintain silence
| in the matter. on the ground that
publicity might lnjure tho progress
desired, IL is understood that appeals
are being sent 10 the individual com
'panies and operators In different
States asking them TO meet with the
lcommittee Of the United Mine Work
I'ers which is authorized TO deal for the
unions.
The government In maintaining the
position that n provision in the eg-
isting national wage contract abso-
lutely binds the mine operators "a
lconslder with tho unions the question
Of writing n new national agreement
20 succeed the expiring one.
The difficulty encountered, u IL said
1s duo 10 the practical dissolution
; within the last year OF the mine oper.
ators organization capable OF dealing
with labor on national basis. AZ a
consequence Il Is satd the government
: has no organization with which II car
deal.
This difficulty win not be allowed e
interfere with the course decided on
however. as the labor department vii
appeal to all of the persons who have
represented the mine owners I'm prep
; aration Of national and semi-nationa
wage agreements under government
supervision during the war.
b Those persons most concerned witt
the actions were not sanguine that tn
conference even II successfully as
2 sembled. would avert a strike. =
The operators OF Union mines. =
l. was said. were determined 20 force /;
reduction In wage scales while thu
union representatives have been bound
by q national convention OF their or
ganization TO stand for a maintenance
: of present scales and in addition fo'
six hour working day and a five da,
week.
The government has gathered stats
tics covering the output OF unioi
v mines. and these. IL was said toda'
by high official, indicate there wi
be a surplus Of coal from the non-unio
mines alone even II all the unio
mines shut down"
Notwithstanding the sovernmer
!, will hold 10 the view that operator
. who entered into the wage contract
q Of 1920 with the unions. these bein
g the contracts which expire April
: are bound by them to discuss wit
! the union the question OF renewal.
n Attempts were made by Secretar
IS Hoover. beginning last January, I
e bring about negotiations between III
a operators and miners but these weI
nullified when a proportion OF IN
d Pennsylvania operators served forni
J. notice on the union and upon the
i associates in the operators committe
= that they no longer intend to max
, wage scales IN agreement with II
diana, Illinois and Ohio mine fields.
lie Since that time. until the steps take
e today at President Harding's direction
lie no direct interference in the situatio
< has been instituted by the govern
s. ment.