Evening star., 1939-05-14

stationing of troops" Mr. Ward said.
BY Tuesday the remainder of them
should be in full swing and the op-
orators feel that within two weeks
they will have coal standing on the
tracks"
Five large mines in the field were
described by Mr.. Ward as having
adopted a watching and waiting
attitude to see what develops. He
said that should the other mines
continue operating under troop pro-
lection the five holdouts would join.
He listed the five as the United
States Steel mine at Lynch, the
Clover Splint Coal Co. at Glover
Splint. the Black Mountain Coal
Corp, the Black Star Coal Co. and
the Wisconsin Steel at Benham.
The operators have had so many
requests for their men to return to
work Mr.. Ward asserted, that
they feel the majority will should
prevail. The State refused the
miners unemployment compensation
and the companies cannot continue
Indefinitely to extend the sl-per-
day credit. One company alone al
ready has s25,000 in credit on it's
books"
Meeting Is Called.
The Hazard and the Big
Sandy Elkhorn Operators Asso-
Citations. which were among those
refusing to sign the contract,
issued calls for meetings Tues
day and tomorrow, respectively, to
decide their future courses.
Ed Reynolds, U. M w. A. field
representative at Hazard. said
a mass meeting of miners would
be held there tomorrow after
noon at 1:30 o'clock
In Charleston, w Va, Gov. Homer
A. Holt, after telephone conver-
sation with Mr.. Chandler, said he
had requested the State police su-
perintendent to take any necessary
steps to dissuade West Virginians
from taking part in any border
warfare"
The new contract, replacing one
which expired March 81, provides
for the same Wage-and-hour Sched-
ule: S6 basic pay in the North for
a flVe-day, 35-hour week. and $3.50
in the South. Miners and operators,
after their first disagreement as to
these. terms-the miners having de-
manded increases in pay and Short
er hours and the operators having
offered reduction in Wages-were
in harmony on everything save the
union-shop clause.
When the final meeting convened
at the Hotel Biltmore today, Mr..
Gunter voted mo" to the contract
and then withdrew, saying:
I'VE have no desire to block the
operators under the unit rule and
wish to allow the proceedings to go
ahead"
Walter L. Robson. chairman.
asked Mr.. Gunter to withdraw the
groups negative vote, but Mr.. Gum
ter declined. Mr.. Robson there
upon ruled that the withdrawal
nullified the vote in the conference.
The five companies which ignored
Mr.. Gunters action and signed the
contract were the Koppers Coal Co.,
Pittsburgh; the Christian Collier
CO.; the Youghiogheny & Ohio
Coal Co.; the Raleigh Wyoming
Mining Co.. and the Kelly Greek Co.
Charles P. ONeill of New York,
spokesman for the operators during
the long negotiations, said to
reporters:
This is the best contract ever
signed in the Appalachian region,
and we believe it is the end of shut
down strikes and suspensions in the
industry"
Better Conditions Seen.
]. D. A. Morrow. president of the
Pittsburgh Coal Co.. speaking for
the Western Pennsylvania and
Northern West Virginia operators,
said the agreement makes no ma
terial change in the practices of
mining operations already prevail
ing in the northern high volatile
field ''' and, in fact, discipline in
the administration of the agree
ment will probably be improved
After the signing of the contract
representatives of the big Sandy