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Show COAL STRIKE SITUATION IS MARK TIME: H a r ding's Proposition Taken Under Advisement By Both Factions ! WASHINGTON. July ll. The coalj strike situation marked time today I pending dcifio:i of operators nnd 'miner as to acceptance of President I Hardin;'" propi sal for the fixing of a ! new a;- scale by arbitration. I The workers l epresent itlves were, .b ,. in,, i.p'y p -ndin;: a decision by I il,. pinaral policy committee of thc( union summoned to meet here Sat-j urday. The operators' group also! , withheld reply pending opportunity for discussion of -:io plan. I KDER Mi iSEW I NT 1'ie-ident Harding s proposal that 'the striking coal miners go back to work at the old wage at once and, that the operators and miners arbi-j '.ran- a n-v wag s-a'e was taken un-j d r advisenient Monday by both parties to the controversy. The president's proposal tell short of ian ultimatum H breathed the determination deter-mination of the executive to protect tin- public from a coal famine by whatever meanr. he finds feasible. If Ii!- - ffo.ts to brinK the warring faction- together should prove unavailing. unavail-ing. It is not doubted that as a last; I resort the president would assume control of the mines in the name of the government and effect a resumption resump-tion of coal production OPERATORS CONFER The operator-3 who have full powerJ ; to accept or reject the Harding plan, will continue consideration of their! 'course today. The representatives of the miners,! who lark authority to a- f on the pro-J IposaU summoned the polity committee commit-tee of the United Mine Workers, whicil posi -sm lhat authority to meet here next Saturday ami formulate a reply i to the president. PRINCIPLE is ACCEPTED Resort to arbitration Is acceptable In principle to the operators, most of whom however, dislike the proposi-; proposi-; tlon of reinstating th strikers at tho old w ap'-. whii n. In y i-ont'-nd. makes 1 It impossible for them to compete ' with non-union mines, where lower ' , waKes obtain M The proposal to go back to work at !jthe md wage Is acceptable to the : miners, who, however, do not look ''with favor upon a determination of a new wage scale by an arbitration board whose findings Ir to be binding. Secretary Hoover said the larger non-union operators had been abiding by he price agreements faithfully but the smaller operators were getting "entirely out of hand'" and in ome I places were raising prices as much as ' CO cents enrh week Small operu- tors In western Kentucky and one ' ! Pennsylvania district, he said, were 5 1 the worst offenders against the fair 1 pric" maximum. The arrangements made with the non-union operators, Mr. Hoover f I stated, were purely voluntary agree- - rnents and representatives (,f theii as ) soclatlon would ! called to V'.ihlng-e V'.ihlng-e I ton to see if they eannot hold the smaller operators In line, or whether ( Continued on Pace Two.) COAL STRIKE SITUATION IS MARKING TIME (Continued from Pae One) the government will have to take some action to protect the public. Asked as to the means at the government gov-ernment s hands for protecting the public. Mr. Hoover explained 'Mure in6ral suasion, that's all I've got. But It's been some stunt to hold the situation for six weeks." "Definite date for the meeting with I h I non-union operators has not been Bel as yet," Mr. Hoover said, adding they would be called together the latter lat-ter part of thK wick |