At Atlantic City

About 40 anthracite miners' and 25 mine operators' representatives met to consider the demands which the United Mine Workers (Districts 1, 7 and 9) are making for a new contract to supplant the present one expiring on August 31 (TIME, July 9). The conference opened at Atlantic City. John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers, led the miners. The Presidents of each of the Districts were present also, and with William J. Brennan, the head of District 1, was Rinaldo Cappellini, the young and fiery President-elect.

For the first time in many years press representatives were admitted to the opening session. Another innovation was the election of a miner to be chairman of the Full Scale Con-ference--John L. Lewis.

The first day of the conference was largely taken up with the presentation of the miners' eleven demands. The chief demands were 1) a 20% increase of wages, 2) maximum eight-hour day (only 3,000 or 4,000 of the 150,000 men represented have not an eight-hour day, yet this is one of the major demands), 3) complete recognition of the United Mine Workers (which means virtually a closed shop).

Mr. Lewis continued: "Our demands as a whole do not in themselves constitute iron-clad demands, nor are they to be received as an ultimatum. Rather, we appeal to your sense of fair play. . . . The operators may as well admit they are compelled to fix a decent wage and that they should not be blamed for desiring to fix a price in proportion to it. However, that does not mean that the American public should have to pay more for its coal."

Following the presentation of the miners' demands, the representatives of the operators, headed by Samuel D. Warriner, went into executive session to consider the proposals.

During the week-end recess both sides were occupied in considering the preliminary report of the United States Coal (Fact Finding) Commission.