Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-12
Miners and Operators Ad-
iourn Without Setting Date
for Renewal of Conference
After Hopeless Session.
WAGE BOOST SOLE BASIS
MEDIATION. LABOR EDICT
Miners, However, Vote for Last
Adjournment. With Evident Re
luctance = Operators Declare
They Have Reached Utmost
Concession
Ry ths Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK. January aiming
each other for their stuhbornness and
failure to reCede an inch from the
position taken. the anthracite joint
conference broke up today. This left
the wage negotiations practically
where they were when begun six
months ago. Meantime the 15S,OOO
mine workers on strike since Sep
tember l. will remain idle.
The break. while sudden. was not
unexpected, as the operators yeSter-
day indicated they had said their last
words in the way of concessions. The
motion to adjourn the conference sine
die was made and seconded by the !
operators and, according to a state
ment of the union leaders, the miners
reluctantly voted for it.
Each Side Issues Statement.
Each side issued a statement after
the breakup. John L. Lewis, head
of the miners, said the responsibility
for the failure to agree and a con-
tinuance of the strike rests entirely
with the anthracite operators, who
thus arrogantly refused to make
any contribution toward industrial
peace
The operators statement declared
that Mr.. Lewis refused TO consider !
any constructive policy and that his
position was one of rule or ruin.
The operators have been trying to
reach a sound settlement based on
reason and justice" the statement
said. MIR. Lewis insists that force !
alone shall rule. Until his attitude /
changes, further discussion is use !
less
The operators Insisted to the end !
pnn1nIa1a arhitr while the I
miners held that if they accepted any
arbitration it should be so only on the |
ba sis of inCrea sing wages and with |
out any reduction.
The proposition presented by the |
operators yesterday, which they |
termed the utmost concession that !
could be made. and which was re- !
jected by the miners, clearly indicated |
that the negotiators had reached the
end of their labors. However, so long
rs they remained in session there was
hope that settlement would be
reached. Today's developments. how
ever. showed the hopelessness of con-
tinuing.
Lewis BIames Operators.
Immediately after the conference
broke up John L. Lewis, president of
the United Mine Workers, called |
ment:
AS predicted in my statement yes !
tcrday. made To the conference. the !
operators were determined to break up |
the conference without an agreement |
After a period of fruitless discus |
sion this morning, the operators moved |
an adjournment without delay, and de- !
manded that the mine workers second |
the motion. Conscious of all RESPONSE !
hility, and still imbued with the hope |
that an agreement might be reached
through the operators abandoning arbl- f!
tration the mine workers refused to /
do so.
The operators later seconded their !
own motion and the chairman put the
question as to adjournment. Under
such circumstances the mine workers
recognized that they could not,
through their own efforts, keep the
conference in session without the
operators present, and reluctantly
voted for the motion.
Expressing Keen Regret.
The mine workers profoundly re- !
gret that the operators maintained !
throughout the session the same un- !
Welding attitude which they evil !
denced when the negotiations began
six months ago at Atlantic City, and !
which they have maintained ever
since The responsibility for the fail !
ure to agree and a continuance OF ,
the strike rests entirely with the an /
thra cite operators interests, who thus |
arrocantlv refused to make any con- !
tributions toward industrial peace.
The mine workers are prepared to
continue the struggle for any period
necessary to induce the operators to
make a lasting peace. which will pre- /
serve for our people the rights of free
men"
The motion to adjourn was made by
George HadestN of the Philadelphia
and Reading Coal and Iron Corpora
tion. 1t was seconded by Thomas
Thomas Of the Lehigh Valley Coal Co.
Operators Blame Lewis.
The operators after the adjourn
mpnt gave out this statement:
After many days of conference we
find there is no change whatever in
Mr.. Lewis attitude. He absolutely
refuses to consider any constructive
policy. In a few words his position
is that be will rule or ruin.
He has informed us in no uncer
tain terms that he cares nothing for
the opinion of the public or public
officials. chambers of commerce, re-
1ElOuS organizations or the press. he
will have his own way or nothing.
The operators proposals. the
Luzerne legislators plan, the Markle
plan, the engineers and economists
plan-all were discussed at length,
only to be summarily rejected by the
miners spokesman because they
.smelled Of arbitration
while the operators were pressing
for practical measures to end the
strike and put the industry on a per-
manent basis. Mr.. Lewis dragged in
unconstitutional proposals for Federal
price fixing and wage fixing. Such
proposals are neither workable nor
nractica BILE, and while consuming time
did not form a basis for any serious
discussions Their fnsincerity was
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