Evening star., 1923-09-03
MINERS WILLINGLY !.
=. OBEY THEIR CHIEFS.
No Reluctance to Strike Seen
4, in Ranks-Pinchot Plan
Is Criticized.
BY ROBERT r. SMALL.

Special Dispatch 10 The star.
WILKES BARRE, Pa, September 8
Inquiries here in the anthracite region
of PENNSYLVANIA fail to indicate the
slightest reluctance on the part OF the
miners TO obey the instructions of their
leaders 1t was reported in Harrisburg
last week that the men did not want to
quit work
AS a matter of fact there is holiday
mood of joyousness in all of the dis
tricts. How long this spirit will last is
matter of conjecture. There is every
evidence that the miners have full faith
In their leaders and will continue to do
precisely what they say.
1t is understood here that Gov. Pin
chot expected pressure to be brought by
the men on their leaders to accept his
terms. There was no such pressure.
Hence one element that he thought
would figure in the conference was
missing.
Enjoying Their Lay-On.
The miners are enjoying their lay-off.
Host Of them would not have worked
for two or three days following Labor
day. anyway. and so today they view
the outlook with coIlplaisance. Nat
urally the men would like the, strike
settled but they want it settled on their
terms
The strong objections here to the
Pinchot compromise proposal are that
1t favorS the contract miners, making
Ss or SO a day. and discriminates against
the day day miners, who receive from
$40 to s5 a day.
The union leaders asked for a 90
per cent increase in the pay of con-
tract miners and. SO a day increase for
Jhe day laborerS.
Gov. Pinchot evidently sought TO
give the miners onehalf of their de-
rnandS. He recommended a 10 per
cent increase all along the line. The
miners might have accepted his pro-
posals if he had carried through his
idea of q so per cent. allowance OF the
miners demands. This would have
given the day workers 81 n day,
Resent discrimination. @
The Pinchot award gave the highly
paid workers so per cent of their de-
mands - but the common miners got
only about one-fifth of what they
asked This discrimination they. re-
sent, and the leaders resent II, too.
for the common miners outnumber the
contract M inerS almost three to one
The operating heads of the mines
are inclined to look upon the Pinchot
award as stumbling block to future
negotiations, between the miners and
operators. They say that in a renew
ers will demand to start from the
basis of the Pinchot award rather
than from the terms of the previous
contract. This will make a final ad
justnlent that much more difficult.
The miners are taking the ground
that they were entitled to all that
Gov. Pinchot gave them and a whole
lot more. ...,...
The mere willingness of the miners
and operators to resume their confer
ence with Gov. Pinchot on Wednes-
day is not regarded here with the
same optimism that seems to pervade
the statehouse at Harrisburg.
Ready to Negotiate.
I'VE are ready to negotiate with
the governor or with the miners at
any time said a spokesman for the
must negotiate. The miners cannot
go back to work without a new con-
tract, and you cannot make new
contract without negotiation. There
fore we are ready to negotiate at any
time. Reaching an agreement, how :
ever, is quite something else again.
Men who have followed the coal
situation here for years and have seen
strikes come and go are not looking
for an early resumption Of mining.
1t Is perfectly true that the present
suspension is not a strike in the COM
monty accepted meaning Of the word.
The men have quit because their
contract expired. They will not go
back to work until new contract is
signed. The negotiation Of the con-
tract may be a matter of months.
Copyright, 1929