The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-13
ANTHRACITE MINE OWNERS RESPONSE
 FULL ACCEPTANCE
Attitude of Officials Is Yet Feared as Intent on Delayed Settlement, However,
 Is Fear
By Assoelated Press

Washington, July 12.--Anthracits mine owners today submitted re- sponse to the governments offer of arbitration in the coal situation that President Harding was said to re- gard as a complete acceptance.
 Meanwhile tho miners' union and to degree, the bltuminous coal op- orators continued to pursue policy which high officials declared was ln- tended to evade or delay an immedi- ate response, and in which officials saw a disposition to reject tho gov ernment's settlement plan If public opinion would approve such course.
 Intice President
 John L. Lewis. president of the United Mine Workers of America, and other officials of that organiza- tion, called on Secretary Davis to- day and were understood to be en- deavoring to intice the President to make the arbitration proposals apply to all the partially unlonized terri tory as well as the mining areas put down by the bituminouS strike. So Tar as the willingness of anthracite operators to settle was concerned MT. Lewis sad. arbitration in the anthracite fields would be considered by the mine workers along with the bituminous arbitration proposals at the general policy committee meet ing Sa urday,
 Responses from the bituminous IT, dustry it was evident, would not be in the Presidents hands before Mon day.
 Attach Conditions
 Two conditions were attached to the anthracite employers acceptance of arbitration as a means of end ing the suspension of operations their territory, une that a seperate committee consider wage scales Tn that Industry and q second that the commission be required tc return | decision about August 1.
 Meantime they agreed to the Pres ident's suggestion to paying the wage rate Of March 31, though pro- testing that this would enibarrass rather than assist the effort to re- store normal conditions, because pub lie demand for increased prices of anthracite is imperative.
 Ask For Three
 The anthracite operators ..sk the President to name three representa- tiyes of the public on tho board and only one miner and one operator. This. it was held, would assure non partisan adjudication. A de- cision from such commission, thsy declared. they would accept without reservation of qualifications
 Conditions which both operators and the unions of the bituminous in- dustry are asking to be attached to the Presidents offer were viewed as seriously disturbing today by off, cials concerned. MT. Lewis and unIon officials who have professed them selves powerless to answer the arbi- tration tender without summoning their general policy committee today suggested that the government ar range to apply the arbitration pro- ceedings to settlement to wa IS in practically all the territory which the union claims as its own. :n the mines of Washington state. and those of West Virginia and of Penn- sylvania where some production has been accomplished.
 Mingo county, W. Va, the scene of mine disturbances in recent months and Somerset county. Pa. where mines working for steel out. rut. were considered non-union until the present strike. were included in Mir. Lewis list. "
 Presidenes offer
 A high official discussing the pro- posals today. said this was equivalent to asking that the Presidents offer of arbitration lin the the mines not now working" be changed to an offer of arbitration in all mines. It was strongly intimated that the govern ment could not force every opera tor of the 5000 in the country to tc- cept findings of such a commission and that the request was intended to make arbitration impossible.
 The bituminous operators objec- tions were said to attack the Pres idents proposal to put the men back at wage scales of 1920-21, when non union mines. with 100000 employees, had been steadily working all through 1921 at wages practically identical with those of 1917. This not only will force disturbances of oper- etion in non-union territory. In .hs view of the operators. but will leave them with high cost coal to sell in with lower cost non union coal.