The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-25
Government States Mine Opera
tors Must Confer With Men.
Clause in National Wage Con-
tract Provides Such Action.
CONSIDER new PAY SCALE
Secretary of Labor Works on
Presidents Suggestion.
Meeting Before April 1 May Not
Stop Strike, However.

Washington, Feb. 25.-Secretary of
Labor Davis had under way today the
action contemplated by President
Harding to bring about a conference
between the bituminous coal operators
and mine workers prior to April L.
Wage contracts now existing in union
fields expire at that time and a failure
to replace them with new agreement
is considered likely to be followed by
a nationwide strike affecting all union
operations
Appeal to All Operators.
While government officials were
plainly disposed to maintain silence in
the matter, on the ground that pub
licity might injure the progress de-
sired, it is understood that appeals
are being sent to the individual COM
panies and operators in different states
asking them to meet with the commit
tee of the United Mine Workers OF
America, which is authorized to deal
for the unions.
The government is maintaining the
position that a provision in the exist
ing national wage contract absolutely
binds the mine operators to consider
with the unions the question of writ
ing new national agreement to sue
ceed the expiring one.
The difficulty encountered, it is said,
is due to the practical dissolution
within the last year of the mine opera
tors organizations capable of dealing
with labor on a national basis. AS a
consequence, it is said, the govern
ment has no organization with which
it can deal.
May Not Avert WalkOut.
This difficulty will not be allowed
to interfere with the course decided
upon, however as the labor depart
ment will appeal to all of the persons
who have represented the mine own
ers in preparation of national and
semi-national wage agreements under
government supervision during the
war.
Those persons most concerned with
the actions were not sanguine that the
conference even if successfully assem-
bled would avert a strike.
The operators of union mines. 1t was
said, were determined to force a re-
duction in wage scales. while the union
representatives have been bound by q
national convention of their organiza
tion to stand for a maintenance OF
present scales and in addition for a
six-hour working day and five-day
week.
Discussion Bound to Come.
The government has gathered sta
tistics covering the output of union
mines. and these, it was said today by
a high official, indicate that there
will be a surplus of coal from the non
! union mines alone even if all the union
mines shut down.
Notwithstanding the government will
hold to the view that operators who
entered into the wage contracts OF
1920 with the unions. these being the
contracts which expire April /, are
bound by them to discuss with the
union the question of renewal
Attempts were made by Secretary
Hoover, beginning last January, to
bring about negotiations between the
operators and the miners, but these
were nullified when a proposition of
the Pennsylvania operators served for
NAL notice upon the union and upon
their associates in the operators com
mittee that they no longer intended to
make wage scale agreements with In
diana, Illinois and Ohio mine fields.