The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-07
COAL PARLEY
ASKS INDIANA,
ILLINOIS Join
Coal Operators and Union
Leaders Gathered at Cleve-
land Adjourn Until Wednes-
day-Others To Join.
LEWIS is OPTIMISTIC
fBy Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Aug. Coal oper-
ators and union leaders who gathered
here today for wage conference look.
ing toward ending the soft coal strike,
agreed in advance OF their first joint
meeting to adjourn until Wed. esday
with the expectation that Illinois and
Indiana operators would be in attend
ance at that time.
No formal call for the operators for
those or other states being asked to
join the conference was expected to
result from the opening conference,
Preliminary to the opening session
OF the joint conference the union pol
icy committee and the Ohio operators
held separate meetings at which it
was said that there was reason to be-
l1eye that the Illinois and Indiana op-
orators would join the conference
After virtually agreeing to ask the
absent operators to come to the con-
ference, 1t was decided not 70 pro
pose any formal invitation.
To Extend Conference.
While only operators of the central
competitive field had been invited TO
the conference, President John l..
Lewis. of the miners. indicated that
the conference might later be ex-
tended to include operators from the
outlying fields where some have sig
nified willingness to settle the wage
dispute that brought a general suspen-
sion of work in the coal industry
more than four months ago. Mr.. Lew
is said he was Optimistic over the
possible results" and held out the hope
of an early return to work by soft coal
miners.
Exact representation of the operat-
ors remained an uncertainty until the
conference was formally organized.
New arrivals came in today, including
among them some operators who did
not expect to participate in the con-
ference, but to act as observers OF
what might be the outcome
The prospects are that operators
producing at least 100000 tons of
coal annually will participate in per-
son or by proxy. This amounts to ap-
proximately one-third of the average
production of the central competitivI
field and seemingly was regarded as
a sufficient basis for beginning the
peace deliberations.
Powers Are Broad
President Lewis statement holding
out hopes of settlement was backed up
by the composition of the miners dele
cation. Ordinary wage negotiations
for the union are carried on by the
scale committee but the unions dele
cation for the conference included the
128 of the policy committee.
The committee includes the three in.
ternational officers, the "a members of
the international executive board, the
80 two members of the scale commit
tee and the SO officers of the union
district organizations. It's powers are
broader than those of the scale com
mittee, its special function being tc
determine all questions of strike pol
icy.
Such representation on the part oi
the miners, it was pointed out by theil
representatives. made it possible fol
any question being decided that might
affect settlement of the soft Goa
strike. Its decisions, also were SAID
TO have a bearing on the anthracite
strike but on account of differences ir
the natural conditions of mining be
tween the anthracite and bituminous
fields, it was expected that if any set
tlement were reached here, it would
be followed by resumption of nego
tiations between the union and the an
thracite operators that were broken of
in June.