The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-08-11
Negotiations, Begun at clever
land Conference, May Put
100000 Back to Work
Lewis Declares Miners Have
Won Fight, But Many OPP
orators Not Present
Details of Settlement to Be
Left to Committee Which
Will Meet Today

Cleveland, O., Aug. 1o.-Negotiation
Of a wage contract which, according to
sponsors of the plan. will result IN
breaking Of the soft coal strike, was
begun to-day by operators and miners
who decided to leave the details or seE
Element to q committee of 81 which Will
begin onsidering its report tomorrow.
Tho start was made after the policy
commitete Of the United Nine WorkeSs
voted In favor Of contracting with thoss
operators Of the central competitive
field who had enrolled in the CONFER
ence.
Approximately 20 per cent OF the nor
NAL coal production Of the Central com.
petitiye field was represented In tho
conference, but this proportion did not
deter President John L. Lewts. OF the
miners, from predicting that = settle.
nent at tho conference here would 70.
suit In more than 100000 miners re-
turning to work in tho soft coal fieids
within q week
tho miners have won this fight ana
Il 10 practically over. said MI. LOWE
None Of the Illinois or Indiana $3.50
citation Of operators was represented 10
the conference as It settled down 70
business. but independent operators
were present from both states. The eaH'
yass Of the coal production Of the cen.
tral competitive field controlled By
operators in the conference was made
by the conference credentials commit'
tee. It reported that the operators IN
the conference controlled 27.960.oo tons
In Ohio. 100000 in Pennsylvania: 3.s
too. 900 in Indiana and 100000 In lin
nois.
Lewis Against Arbitration.
While tho conference was at WORK
here, W. A. Glasgow. Of Pnihdsfphia-
counsel for the miners, had gone to To.
Iedo 70 confer with three members OF
the Illinois operators scale committee.
and the hope was held out among the
conferees here that tho Illinois associa.
tion might yet join tho conferences. MT.
Lewis, however. declared there has oeen
M deviation from the unions stenn
against arbitration, q position to when
the Illinois association has attr1outed
It's refusal to join the conference
Tho unions demand for a settlement
canter on tho re-estabushment Of the
wage contracts that expired last Mafeh
Al. This was made clear by Mr.. Lewis
at the meeting Of the union policy com
rittee when he declared there VIII b
no reduction Of wages and tho miners
will not 20 back to work except undsf
the old contracts. No announcement
came from tho operators or their de-
mands -,
The committee Of 81 that will frame
the settlement, which will be presented
TO the general conference for accept
ance or rejection, will include II miners
and 10 operators. These Will be chosen
from among tho 81 members or the
scale committees Of both sides.
While several West Virginia opera
tors had been attending the conferences,
they were not enrolled as conferees py
the credentials committee and they SAID
that they expected any contract that
they might make with the union "oua
he based on that negotiated at the con-
ference. Michael Gallagher. conference
chairman. said its purpose was not 70
make a basic scale for any one except
the operators participating In tho CON.
ference. Union officials. however, said
that a decision rs TO whether the scale
made here was to be basic FOR otner
operntors was a question OF policy 10
be decided entirely by the union.
Ready to Open 1unss.
Norrantown, W. Va. Aug. 1o.-Dis-
matches from representatives OF the
United Mine Workers at Cleveland re-
ceiyed here to-day by district represent
- NTN