Evening star., 1923-08-09
Operators and Miners Cannot
End Fight Alone, %.
servers Agree.
COMMISSION is URGED
TO CALL NEW SESSION
Labor Department Men Sent
Among Workers to Prevent
Walkout Next Month.

AS the date Of expiration OF the
anthracite miners agreement draws
near it IS becoming apparent to gov
ernment officials that some agency
outside the mine union and the op-
orators must attempt to conciliate
the differences which may lead to
strike after August 81.
AS the situation now stands. with
both sides standing firm, the nation
is faced with a strike in the anthra-
cite fields of Pennsylvania. Although
anthracite production has reached
higher levels since the beginning Of
the coal year. April I, than at any
time since the war. a, cessation Of
work would mean hardship again
during the coming winter for thou
sands
Fear of Strike.
The impression is daily gaining
ground as September ! approaches
that the government must step in
where the Atlantic City conference
left off three weeks ago, and call a
round-table meeting of miners and
operators in an effort to avert the
strike which all agree is inevitable
unless something is done. The United
States Coal Commission is considered
to be the logical agency to call such
a meeting. or at least TO use its per
suasive power to call the two sides
together. Although the commission
has no legal power to enforce a meet
ing, il Is the sole government agency
at present dealing with coal, outside
OF state conciliation boards. In the
meantime the Labor Department has
the situation closely and working
among the miners in a last-minute
effort to prevent strike.
Secretary of Labor Davis. when he
will be Immediately apprised of the
gravity of the anthracite situation by
Acting Secretary Henning. Mr.. Davis
is To go to Marion to pay his respects
to Mrs. Harding. but Immediately he
returns to Washington he is expected
to begin efforts to get miners and
operators together. The Labor Secretary
is empowered by law to take the nee
essary steps to prevent a strike in any
major industry.
Plans for Emergency.
apprised of the seriousness of the an
thracite situation by Chairman John
Hays Hammond of the United States
Coal Commission and by Samuel Com
pers, president of the American Fedora
tion of Labor. But the feeling at pres
ent is that the President should remain
in the background while the negotia-
tions are still in the negotiable stage,
and not until the parties are hopelessIy
deadlocked should he step in. In the
meantime the President has before him
a plan prepared by experts of the In
terror Department for operating the
terror Department for operating the
John l.. Lewis. president of the
United Mine Workers, was in Wash
ington yesterday. He rode in the fu-
neral procession with Mr.. Gompers,
but did not see the President. He left
the city last night.
The Atlantic City conference, which
was expected to draw up q new wage
agreement in the anthracite fields,
split on the question of elimination of
the "check- or system for collecting
union dues. The operators claim they
should not have to shoulder the bur
den OF collecting dues of members of
the union. while the union claims
such collection is the only feasible
means of getting its money. With
this controversial point was inter
jected a demand by the miners for an
increase in the wages OF day laborers
although 1t was believed this point
could have been gotten around had
the question of the "check-off" not
split the conference.