Anthracite

A third week went by, leaving the anthracite miners and operators no nearer to deciding whether mining is to continue after Aug. 31, when the present wage contract expires. The miners have asked a 10% wage increase; the operators say that wage costs must be reduced. Incidents of the week: P: The operators published, in Philadelphia and Manhattan newspapers, advertisements telling the public that there was no necessity for a hard coal strike, that they were willing to offer to continue operations after Aug. 31 and to arbitrate any difference which had not been settled by that time. The miners charged that this advertising was unnecessary and that it would increase the cost of coal. The operators answered that the cost would not amount to more than a few mills per ton, and would be charged to profit and loss, not to operating expenses.

P:The miners continued "presenting their case" (the operators have not yet begun) but most of the matters brought up were trivial--classed by observers as trading points.

P:The week concluded with the return of John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers, to the scene of the negotiations. He straightway dispatched a letter to Samuel D. Warriner, President of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., charging that the operators' negotiating committee was composed mostly of underlings and had no intention of coming to an agreement, and charging that Mr. Warriner and W. J. Richards (President of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Corporation), who had been two of the chief negotiators in: previous years, were holding back. He said that the conference so far meant nothing because of their absence and in effect threatened to break off negotiations unless the operators would send their real champions into the fray.

It was reported that Mr. Warriner felt he deserved a rest, having negotiated for many years, and had promised his wife not to engage further in the bitter wrangles. A similar excuse was advanced for Mr. Richards.

Mr. Warriner wrote to Mr. Lewis that the operators had given full powers to their negotiating committee, that they had chosen their representatives and did not intend to change them at the dictation of the miners. "You would, I am sure, resent any attempt by us to say who should represent the mine workers. We must maintain the same right to say who shall represent the operators. This right has been exercised, and the personnel of the committee can not be changed."