Evening star., 1922-07-11

Leaders of the mine workers union
and operators of anthracite and btu
minous mines, who got President
Harding's offer of arbitration yester-
day as the government solution of
the suspension Of operations in union
fields, were still in the throes of de-
| cision today over acceptance or re-
fusal. but semi officially it was
stated the government expected to
have answers Saturday
In spite of careful guarding of
dissatisfaction with the terms of the
Presidents offer on both sides, and
some question as to the eventual
outcome. The union officials had def
nitely postponed their decision prob
lem until Saturday. when the gen.
eral policy committee of the United
Mine Workers will meet to pass
! upon the issue. but the employers
| had committees actually at work in
Washington.
Northwest Supply Worries.
| the northwestern coal supply, it was
indicated, the rail-and-water route
| over the great lakes forcing the
transport of coal in the summer or
not at all. A work resumption with
in two weeks. however. 1t was indi-
Gated, might solve this without DIM
Guilty. but il not. priority orders
through the Interstate Commerce
Commission might be used to direct
shipments of non-union coal prefer
entially to the territory concerned.
This constituted policy question
held in suspension.
Mine operators in the union fields,
who have kept mines closed down three
| tion was necessary to lower production
costs and coal prices to meet levels or
other commodities, found most difficulty
in accepting the sections Of the Presi-
dents arbitration offer which would
continue the wartime mining wage
scales for what they regard as indefinite
period. Using the union day laborer's
wage underground Of $3.50 to illus
trate their argument, they point out
| that non-union fields, with a day labor
wage rate Of around IS, have continued
expanding operations for all OF the
period.
In the union circles the disposition
is to question where the arbitration
! would leave the union districts In
West Virginia, Washington state ana
| the southwest. which have more or less
relapsed to non-union operations. There
also is 4 disposition to consider what
| the arbitration would 90 1Or the new
| unions which successfully came into be-
| ing in certain non-union territory OF
PENNSYLVANIA under the impulse OF q
national strike. 1t is the union view
that the wage scale fight under the
| arbitration offer is more or less won
The net result was to give ooth
elements in the conference considera-
| BILE room for thinking.
Regarded "Fairest Way
After discussing the proposal with
his associates yesterday, Alfred M
Ogle. chairman of the bituminous op-
orators group, indicated that they
considered a plan for arbitration by
districts bffered by them last week as
"the best and fairest way" to settle
the controversy. John L. Lewis. pres
ident Of the union, however, classed
this las obsolete in the light OF the
Presidents proposals" The anthra-
| cite operators maintained silence on
/ the proposal. although they have be-
| fore rendered arbitration at the hands
| of the President.
Mr.. Ogle declared he considered 1t
| utterly impossible" for one board to
| deal comprehensively with conditions
over the vast area of the nations BIZ
! luminous fields and to make up
wage scale in any reasonable time"
| That was why, he said, the operators
had proposed several boards Of ar
| bitration.