The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-12
FIGHT ON WAGE : SCALE LOOMS
 AT CONFERENCE
Operators May Demand Return To Pay
 Of 1917

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Feb. II. (By Associated Press. ss.)-Prospect of a three-fOld disagreement in the early stages of the miners and operators joint wage conference here, loomed up late today, when the operators ad- jOurned their second caucus, after ex- pressing widely divergent opinions and acting on none. A motion made by one operator, insisting on reduction inj wages, was formally withdrawn, it was announced, but another definite proposal was made that the operators open debate with a demand that the miners wage scale be set back where it was in 1917.
 Adjournment was taken until 10 o'clock tomorrow morpiug, when the joint conference of the miners and op- orators will be resumed. It was de- clared tonight that this session will also prove perfunctory and that the operators will remain quiet, offering nothing.
 Lewis Address . Masterpiece
 Phn H. Penna, of the Ind ana oper- ators, formerly international president of the miners, said tonight that there was no telling what would transpire in the next few days. "The brief address of John l.. Lewis," he said, twas a masterpiece, and it was an honest, fea- sonable and straightforward petition of the miners side of the case. But, above all it was conciliatory. If that sort of speech had been made at the Baltimore conference in 1919, there would have been no strike" MT. Penna said the operators were unor- ganized and hadn't had time yet to agree on anything.
 Besides considering a proposal to re- turn to the wage scale of 1917, which would chop A cents a ton from the $1.O7 (approximate) rate paid the miners and $2.50 from the wages paid the day men, who now draw $7.5O a day, the operators caucus gave consid- erable attention to the request of the miners that the next contract be for a term of four years, instead of from years to year, as at present.
 Long Term Proposal Discussed
 The Hong term" proposal, it was said, reuslted in more discussion than the wage demands, and from that the operators jumped into an argument over conditions" Information was offered by one operator that some of the miners desired that the prospective joint agreement be made effective by dis tricts, instead of by the entire central competitive field.
 This would permit the Illinois, In- diana, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania districts to adjust internal differ ences" first, and then include the new conditions" with the prospective wage scale in the referendum to be voted by the miners. This, it was pointed out, is an old argument. Several years ago the custom of separate contracts for districts was in effect, but it was dis carded for the single contract for the entire field.
 Lewis Against Wage Change
 Operators tonight said that Presi- dent John l.. Lewis had insisted on only one thing in his preliminary pre- sentation of the miners demands this morning and that was there be no re- duction in wages. Informed of the op- erators' discussion, Mir. Lewis later de- clared the scale committees stand throughout would be unchanged, and firmly set against any lowering-Of the standard of wages.
 Operators in the conference, eight from each state, were as follows:
 Western Pennsylvania-J. A. Don aldSon, J. M. Armstrong, w. M. Hen- derson, T. w. Guthrie, John A. Bell, Jr., R. c. Crawford, NJ. W. McLain and A. NJ. Marion.
 Ohio-Miachel Gallagher, $. H. Rob- ibns,s Ezra Van Horn, R. l.. Wilder much, W. H. Haskins, T. R. Riddle, J. S. Jones and A. A. Augustus.
 1llinois-Rice Miller, l.. H. Smith, K. s. Searles, George B. Hannington. W. J. Spencer, Dr. c. H. Crause and Harry c. Adams.
 1ndiana-David Ingle, NJ. l.. Gould, J. A. Templeton, Hugh Shirkie. w. J. Freeman, A. M. Ogle, E. D. Logsdon and Phil H penna