Evening star., 1925-08-05
Operators Reported in Ses-
sion and Miners Are Ex-
j.. peCted to Vote Ratification
of Demands at Once.
FEDERAL OR STATE MOVE
NOW DECLARED NEEDED
Lewis Hits Owners Stand as Eff
fort to Increase Profts-Criti-
cized by Inglis for Unwilling
ness to Submit Controversy to
Arbitration Board.
BY the Associated Press.

py Ju6 AeeOCdbcd GEocs.
ATLANTIC CITY, n. J., August
5.-Suspension OF work on Septem-
Der l by $4,000 anthracite miners
IN the Pennsylvania field appears
certain unless an outside influence,
Federal or State, brings together the
United Mine Workers and anthra-
cite coal operators.
Both sides, who broke OF scale
negotiations here yesterday in
clash on wage increases and adop-
ton of the union check-of, are sub
mitting their action today to their
respective constituencies for ap-
provaL.
Operators are understood to be
meeting in Philadelphia and the rati-
fcation on behalf of the $4,000 mine
workers will likely be voted at a
Inittee at the Hotel Ambassador here
this afternoon.
COMMITTEES Has Full Power.
Operators have said from the outset
that their scale negotiators possess
blanket power of attorney for the
anthracite industry.
The 40 members Of the miners full
scale committee have been here since
last week. They have been in posi-
ton to keep an eye on the develop
ment that came to a climax so rapid
ly since last Friday. They are in
hearty accord with the policy of John
L. Lewis, president of the United
Mine Workers of America, and his
colleagues on the scale committee
Which did the actual negotiating, ac-
cording to a high official.
w. w. Inglis, chairman of the oper-
ators' committee, in reviewing yester-
days break, said today:
suppose that the operators had said
10 the miners at the opening of the
conferences: DO you intend to stick
to your demands for an increase in
wages and the check-off? If you do,
there is no use of further conferences
1t is futile to discuss anything except
what we want The operators would
then have been in the position that
the miners assumed yesterday"
Miners See Bar to Peace.
The miners found a grievance in
the announced refusal of the opera
tors to entertain any wage demand
on the part of the men which would
boost production cost of hard coal
so much as a cent. Miners said this
was the key" to the operators posi-
tion, and that they found it auto
matically debarrsd chance of agree
ment.
Inglis, who is also president of the
Glen Alden Coal Co. of Scranton, then
charged on the other hand that Lewis
had come into the conference with
his mind made up to break negotia-
tions.
The climax developed rapidly over
the week end after. and largely out
of, demand Mr.. Lewis served last
Friday that the conference would fail
without the immediate presence of
Samuel d. Warriner, chairman Of the
anthracite operators conference and
William j. Richards, president of the
Philadelphia and Reading Coal and
Iron Co. Mr.. Warriner and Mr..
Richards both remained away from
Atlantic City yesterday. Whether or
not this tacit defiance of the miners
leader proved provocative, it was fol
lowed at once by Mr.. Lewis pro-
nouncement:
The mine workers representatives
are of the judgment that it is utterly
futile TO continue further in these
wage scale negotiations"
Charged Profit Raising.
This came as the final paragraph
TO second letter Mr.. Lewis prepared
Tor Nr. w arrlner IN Which he passed
the miners grievances against the
owners in final review. He charged
that the owners wanted to cut wages
to increase profit margins" and that
they had opposed every constructive
suggestion that would have meant
cheaper coal"
He cited an upward movement in
the coal market recently as proof
that the ''non-conciliatory attitude"
of the operators was already forcing
the anthracite-con public to
pay through the nose"
He denounced the operators plea
that differences be submitted to arbi-
tration and said it had once cost the
miners 100000, 900 in wages In two
years TO learn that operators always
kept close TO an arbitrator
Mr. 1nglis' rejoinder was to secure
from Mr.. Lewis affirmation that his
letter meant the miners wished to call
off the parley because of the oper-
ators' opposition to a wage increase
and that arbitration was not to be
thought of. The miners are demand
ing as terms for a new contract that
wages be increased 10 per cent for
contract miners and 81 additional for
all-day workers, recognition of the
union, with adoption of the check-off
two-year contract and various other
advantages.
\ suspension of 20 days two years
ago was settled by arbitration The
miners got 10 per cent increase in
wages.