The Washington times., 1922-08-18
COAL FARLEY
!. IN LAST Squirt
T0ENDsTR|KE.
Peace In Anthracite Fields May
Result Before Today's
Meeting Is Over.
BY GEORGE w, WILLIAMS.
international News Service.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. Aug. is.--3
with preiimlnaries and formalities
out OF the way, anthracite miners
and operators settled down today
TO the serious task Of whipping
into shape the tentative contract
for the ending Of the twenty weeks
coal strike.
Prospects were bright for peace
and settlement OF the hard coal DIFF.
ferences may be worked out before
night fall, In the camp of each
side It 10 freely admitted that never
have anthracite employers and men
entered into negotiations In more
friendly spirit.
Peace Is to be made on q give
and take basis. Leaders Of the men
and chiefs Of the operators went to
work early today In moulding pro-
grams for presentation at this after
Moons conferences scheduled to bel
held at . O'Clock daylight sayingI
time, in the offices OF s. d. WarriJ
ner, president of the Lehigh Goal,
AHA AANtSdtt0n AHNtRHnIs F
In the feeling out" session yes
teFdRy there was no concrete plan
offered for settlcmenf
Length OF the contract becomes
one OF the hard problems 70 work
out. Miners have not changed their
position. Nothing less than n two
year agreement, dating from April
4, last. will be acceptable to them.
The operators are not looking for
any agreement that would send the
men back to the mines to provide
winter coal and precipitate strike
or suspension next spring because
no lasting program has been work.
ed out.
New Contract Likely.
Probabilities are that the new
contract win be written for q
term OF three years. A contract
OF that duration, both sides feel
would stabilize business in the hard
coal fields and reopen the industry
for one Of the most prosperous eras
OF its history
The miners are brought face to
face with a delicate question. From
the start they have stood solidly
against any arbitration. Their
fight has been TO keep the ws<ge
question out OF the hands of a
third party. In the present parley
they have carried that point, but
having brushed the wage matter
out Of the way the rest Of the
Shamokin demands are before
them Tor consideration.
Out Of yesterdays conference
grew . proposition that would make
the old wage scale the basis Of
new agreement. and provide for
arbitration OF the other demands
With the wage question determine.
the union leaders feel that they
would not have much NJ stake in
submitting the rest OF the Shame
kin program to arbitration.
What the men fear II establish
ing q precedent and they are de-
batting a question today as to
whether or not agreement TO arbi.
tration OF miner differences would
not be committing the oreaniza-
ton to arbitration In general. There
" fear that such an agreement on
minor matters would mean laying
themselves open for the use Of a
club that they might now, h.1s,-
Gently enough place In the haun
OF the opposition.
Anthracite peace is TO come in
the form of a straight contra3t.
Union leaders defint a straight con-
tract as one worked out without
the help OF a third party. A
straight contract Is the result of
direct negotiations and the men
say the hard coal strike win end
by miners and operators sitting
about table and making their own
terms. -
The union force 10 prepared to
cali the general scale COMMITTEES of
the miners here for speedy ratifica-
tion of any tentative agreement
that 10 made.