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Show OPERATORS REJECT MINERS' DEMANDS They Asked 20 Per Cent Increase In Wages,' Recognition of United Mine Workers and Eight-Hour Day Law. ( NKY YORK, Feb. 5. The anthracite coal operators rejected here yesterday the demands of their miners foi a 20 pet cent in-' crease in uage-i, complete recojrnition of the United Jline Workers of America, a two- ear working agreement, an eight-hour dny and changes in the methods of fixing wages. The operators propose that if the differences cannot be settled by the interested parties themselves, they be submitted to the board of conciliation provided for in the award of the antlnncite conl strike commission of 1902. The miners demnnds were formulated form-ulated last September at Wilkesbaire, Pa, nnd wore tatified last week by the United Mine Woikers' convention at Indianapolis. In a reply to their emploves, signed by the hends of nineteen nntlnnclte companies and appioved nt theii meeting esterdny, it is stated that to grant the ware incicnse would mean an advance to the consumer of sixt cents a ton for domestic sizes of anthracite anthra-cite Tho opeiators declare that the anthracite industry is being conducted "on as low a margin of profit as is possible, if the operators oper-ators are to continue to serve the public." Answering the miners contention that the cost of food in twelve onrs increased 10 per cent and wages fiVfc per cent, the operators present figures purporting to show "an increase of only 1G per cent in the miners' total cost of living as compared with an increase of ov cr 36 per cent in his earning capacity." "The Increase in the opportunity for earnings as compared with the increase in the cost of living," sas the operators' statement, state-ment, "combine to make the Increased prosperity of the anthracite anthra-cite miner far in advance of other classes of labor." Demand Tot Recognition Declared Unreasonable. Tho demand for recognition of the United Mine Workers of America in declared unrensonnble, as It would "subject the anthracite anthra-cite region to the politics of an organization absolutely controlled from the outside." The operators point out that a majority of the members of the United Mine Workers are emplojed in thii bituminous conl fields. Thej hold the "rights of organized labor are fully protected by the open shop principle established by this commission." Ihc miners' contention that the present system growing out .of the "contract provision between miners and operators is nnti-tiuated," nnti-tiuated," Is characterized as a "misleading statement." The ar-l langement, the operatots sa, was a part of the award of the an- thrncite commission, which provided for a board of conciliation through the opciation of which stiikes and lockouts should become be-come unnecessary." The work of tho lioard has "stood the test of thirteen jcars, and it is believed that any further departure from the rules laid down by the commission would be a decided step backwaid and an encouragement to labor troubles in the anthracite field," the operators oper-ators declare. Two-Year Agreement Causes lll-Ycarl Disturbance. . 'I he proposed two-jear agreement is desciibed as a "business airangement that is shown by actual experience in the bituminous field to threaten a bl-jenily distill banco of the pence and prospei-it prospei-it of the Illinois, opeiatois and geneinl public." The operators quote government statistics to show tlmt the time lost by strikes an suspensions in the bituminous field between be-tween 1000 and 1012 was equivalent to a loss of earning capacity I "approaching the laboi cost of digging the Panama canal." Answering the Illinois' contention that conttacts foi more than two joars are unfair bt cause "the cost of living nnd the cost of production aie ever changing," the opeiatois quote Thcodoie Roosevelt's instiuctioiiH to the anthracite coal sttikc commission in 1002 that it "endeavoi to establish tho relations between cm-plojors cm-plojors and wage earners on a just and permanent basis and as far as possible to tlo away with such difficulties as those which ou have been callud upon to settle." "The anthracite operatots bolieve," the icpl continuos, "that1 tho industrial distuibunfcs incidental to the bi-jouily contracts jue un unnocossary evil, expensive to the mtnuis, operatots nnd public alike, and tlmt leHsouable adjustments can be made from time to timo without the nocossltj of periodical disturbances, If the automatic method of the sliding scale, a profit sharing plan established by the commission, and abolished at the demand of the miners in 1012, is lost mod." Kiglit-llour Daj Makes Too Much Recreation. To grant an elght-hout day would Increase the danger of coal shoitage and inn case the cost of production, it is contended. "The omplojos in the anthracite mines," the reply sns, "have abundnnt opportunity for social rect cation. If the hlghei cost of living is tho tea son for the demands of tho anthracite emplojes, the work-iiumi work-iiumi certainly should bo willing to give the snmo tht if t, time and unotgy as heretofoie." "llio oporators believe," the reply concludes, "that differences biMvoon employers and eniplojos who are tliiectly affected should be tcitlcd by the Intel csted parties, If possible. If they cannot agree, they believe that the differences should be adjusted by tho fail nnd open ni bit! at ion provided by the boa id of conciliation as established by the anthracite coal strike committee, by which three hundred sixty-eight casus that have come before it have been satisfactorily adjudicated. "Hveiy well Infoimed man who has made a study of conditions in the anthracite field will ngico that tho anthracite industiy as a whole is now conducted on us low a margin of profit as is possible if tho operators aro to continue to servo the public. "As any increase which may be granted must necessarily be eventunlly paid by tho heads of families and other users of anthracite, anthra-cite, the operaxois, while desiting to deal justly with their em-plojes em-plojes deem It their plain duty to tcsist nny unreasonable demands." |