New Britain herald., 1926-02-13
ORDINARY WINTER PRICE FOR COAL
 SHO'|!D BE PAID
Operators Expect Retailers to
 Maintain Normal Margins, Preventing ProfteerinS
STRIKE SETTLEMENT IS
 CAUSE FOR REJOICING

Six Months Strike Has Cost Grand
 Total of About S524 ,OO ,OO0, Includ-
 ing Wages of Men Out of Work
 Peak Production Not Likely For
 Some Time As Many Miners Have
 Taken Up Other Lines of work.
 Philadelphia, Feb. 1$ Pl-Peacc reigns today in the 500 square miles of territory comprising the Pennsyl- vana hard coal fields.
 By virtue of the agreement reach ed yesterday between the miners and operators representatives. the disaa- trous strike, which had kept t58,- ,- GOO miners in idlcnesSs for nearly six months was over and the men were preparing to return to their under ground employment.
 Ratification Tuesday
 Ratification by 6 tri-district con- vention of miners, to be held in Scranton next Tuesday is the only 1ormality remaining to make the peace pact effective. No doubt was expressed by either miners or oper- ators that this approval would be given and that the mines would be in operation in 6 few days. Peak production, however may not be reached for some time, as many of the miners have left the region to obtain employment elsewhere.
 The operators announced that 1t was expected the public would pay normal winter prices for domestic sizes of coal. Tt is also expected" said d statement. that the retail trade will maintain normal margins, so that our customers may not suf- fer from profteoring."
 Wave of Rejoicing
 Settlement Of the strike caused d wave of rejoicing throughout the coal regions and dispelled the gloom that has shrouded the district all winter. especially In late weeks when long lines of chlldpen waited for food at soup kitchens, Every city and tiny "coal patch" joined iii the celebration, at which church bells were rung, impromptu parades were started and men and women danced in the streets.
 The suspension all but paralyzed business in many localities Con servative estimates of the strikes cost, including the loss of produc- ton and miners wages, reach a grand total of s524,000,0o0. The strike was remarkable In that 1t was one of the most peaceful struggles in the history of American labor, for not a life was lost through vio- lence, nor a person seriously in- jured.
 Peace came on the natal day of John L. Lewis. president of the Unit cd Mine oWrkers. He was 46 gears old. but he had forgotten all about it until he was reminded. Major W. W. Inglis, chairman of the oper- ators' negotiating committee, sent him a basket Of American beauty roses, with a note pointing out that besides marking the end of the strike, it was the birthday of the miners leader and another great American. Abraham Lincoln"
 All Bitterness Gone
 Relieved of the heavy responsibiI- flies during the weary months of negotiations members Of the min CTS and operators committees wer0 in jubilant mood. There was no trace of bitterness that has marked some of the parlcys.
 The man who set the machinery in motion to bring about the settle ment, R, F. Grant, of Cleveland, O., vice. president of the M. A. Hanna Coal company, soft coal operators, and president of the SusQuchanna Galleries company, an anthracite subsidiary. remained in the back ground today. He was modest, whe uniformed of thc high praise heaped upon hm by both parties and praised President Coolidge for "his great common sense and wisdom" in not intervening in the dispute. If
 (Continued on "9gr iS.)