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Show U. S. INTERVENTION IN COAL STRIKE LOOMS Another Effort to Be Me.de Today to Bring Peace Between Men and Fuel Operators. Senate Firmly Con-j Con-j vinced Law Will Be Invoked to Save Country Coun-try From Distress. WASHINGTON, Oct. :l Failure of operators op-erators and miners to settle their difference differ-ence after a. four-hour conference today with Secretary of Labor "Wilson may force j the government to step in and prevent j the strike of 500,000 bituminous coal miners cajlecl for November 1. 'Although another effort -w ill be made tomorrow to bring peace to the industry, the strike tonight loomed big and close at hand, and leaders of the two sides, speaking frankly and gravely, said there was little hope. While the full scale committee representing repre-senting miners and operators were fighting fight-ing their battles today I.ehind a closed door, a strike storm ratted in the senate, sen-ate, and federal agencies looked up the : law, firmly convinced it would have to be invoked to save the country from untold distress and suffering, with mines shut down and less than a month's stock on hand to keep fires burning. Filing out of the meeting place, the miners and operators, nearly one hundred hun-dred of them, went their separate ways to discuss the crisis, the former led by James L. Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers of America, and the latter lat-ter by Thomas T. Brewster, head of the Coal Operators' association. Leaders and members of both groups were extremely reticent. Both Brewster and Lewis refused re-fused to discuss the situation, beyond saying there had been no change in the attitude of either' group. STRIKE ORDER WILL STAND. Informed of the attack on the unions In the senate by Senator Frelinghuysen of New Jersey and reports from many quarters that the government might intervene, inter-vene, strike leaders said there was a bare chance of some encouraging development tomorrow, but that the strike order would stand. Secretary Wilson left the meeting vnth-(Continued vnth-(Continued on Page 4, 'Column 2.) MIRERS FAIL TO -- SETTLE DIFFERENCES1 (Continued From Page One.) out giving the least intimation as to wliat was in his inind as to hope of settlement. settle-ment. Tiie two committees, in separate groups, filed Into the assembly hall of the Re'd Crosii building and sat dou n short iy be-fore be-fore noon, while Secretary Wilson went to tiie front and wCiiout ceremony announced an-nounced that they had been asked to meet and adjust their grievances. Pleading for immediate settlement of the strike, the secretary showed how it wourd affect af-fect the public; how it would close industrial indus-trial plants and stop freight and passenger pas-senger traffic because of tiie limited coal stocks held by the railroads. Pointing out that the matter was one of vital concern to tiio people, Secretary V llson explained that as executive oir fiecr of the government intrusted with the function of mediation in such disputes he felr that every possible effort should he marie to induce the miners and operators to see the import anco of early udjnsi -rnent. 'The secretary said he ga c full weight to the statement of the c icrators regarding contracts and to tiie importance of rescinding the strike order and to withdrawal with-drawal of demands for a thirty-hour week", .in si as lie gave weigh t to (he sia t em mi of the miners that there mud ho "a disposition dis-position lo rca lly negotiate" lie fore i t would he worth while for them to go into conference. WAGE AGREEMENT HAS EXPIRED. rresident Lewis then fpoke for the miners. The ok! wage agreement, he 1e clareil. had expired Riid the operators, he charged, had refused lo consider a new one. The side of the operators was presented by P. H. Penna of Terre Haute. Ind., who charged that the miners had violated vio-lated their agreement; that the operators had adhered to the principles and practices prac-tices of collective harpainint?. and that the unions were at fault. Then, without consulting the leaders, Secretary Wilson suggested an adjournment until tomorrow, tomor-row, as casually as if the conference had planned to Tun for a weelc. There was no ohjcclion. neither side desiring de-siring to appear In the attitude of blocking block-ing efforts by a voluntary mediator, but miners and operators alike were sur- prised. 'J'lia general feeling seemed to -be that the thing would be fought over and settled today. The secretary, it was said. Indicated a desire to present the views of the government after each side had been given a full heaving. Because of tho necessary absence of Secretary Wilson, the strike' was not discussed dis-cussed at the regular cabinet meeting today, to-day, but it was the subject of. serious private discussion among officials generally. gen-erally. Some of them searched the records rec-ords to seo what action was taken in similar disturbances, but everything was held fu abeyance until it was determined whethe Mr. Wilson's conciliation efforts would bear fn it. Officials recalled that once during the administration of President Roosevelt, when a coal strike appeared certain, miners min-ers and operators were warned that if the mines were shut down they would be Immediately Im-mediately opened and operated bv the government, with troops 011 guard, if necessary, to see that the public got an I adequate supply of coal . Ke-establishnicnt of tho fuel adminis-I adminis-I tration, which ceased to function last j spring, was also discussed bv officials, it reports receivod'at the international headquarters head-quarters here of the United Mine Work- i crs of America. j A statement issued from the union headquarters today declared that the con- j sumer is being forced to pay as much as . $1 - more a ton for coal now than a week ago. "All of this is without the slightest justification," the statement continues. "Operators have flatly refused to grant the miners an advance in wages, but have Increased the price of coal. Production costs are no higher than they were a month ago. Everything, is the same. Who gets this additional ?1 a ton? "Many opera tors are telling t lie public that the increase is due to a shortage of coal. Certainly t hat: cannot he the reason, rea-son, for the miners of the country 'have been idle most of tiie time since the armistice armi-stice was signed. Thousands of mines have been operated only one to three days a week in JOllt. although the miners were anxious to work. Consequently the miners are not responsible for any alleged coal shortage." was contended that the food control act gave the government full power to require-the require-the miners to remain at work pending adjustment ad-justment of wage demands. It was not thought tonight that th conference would continue in session after tomorrow. All government plans waited, therefore, until its close, with full expectation expec-tation should no results be obtained, the government, through congress or other agencies, would step in and keep the mines in full operation. Indianan Optimistic. Settlement ft the controversy between bituminous miners and operators without a striko "is within range of possibility." Representative Sanders. Republican, Indiana, In-diana, declared in a speech ir. the house today. His district is in the center of the Indiana coal field. "For over a quarter of a certury." said Representative Sanders, "the ' United Mine Workers of America have, by means of collective bargaining with the operators, opera-tors, mode amicable agreements for the production of coal, fair and beneficial alike to tho operator, the miners and the public. The machinery for adjusting disputes, dis-putes, including the present one, is still intact. In the past they have bargained and compromised and used a good supply of common sense on both sides." Since April, 1916. tho miners have received re-ceived 20 cents a ton increase in wages, Mr. Sanders said, making the scale of pick miners Si cents a ton, an advance of 29 per cent; and that for machine miners 72 cents a ton, an advance of 28 per rent. During this time "tho advance in retail sale price, of coal was more than 110 per cent," Mr. Sanders added. |