Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-26
Operators Notify Miners
Demands Can Not be
Complied With.
GARFIELD CALLED
IN CONFERENCE
May Seize and Operate
Mines If Differences Are Not Ad.
justed and Mon Go on strike-Gar-
field Declares Production Must Not
Stop Under Any Circumstances
Figures May 30 Revised.

OF Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and western
Pennsylvania today notified miners
representatives in conference here that
they were unable to meet the miners
demands for wage incrase Of about
rs per cent unless the government re-
vised the prices Of bitu,ninous coal :.
It is probable that after another con-
ference between miners and operators
late today. DR.. H. A. Garfield, the coal
administrator, will be called in to con-
slider the situation.
U. S. May Seize Mines.
One government official intimated
that If strike or other curtainment of
coal production should be the outcome
OF the wage controversy the govern
ment would not hesitate to take over
and operate all the bituminous mines
DR.. Garfield admitted tat the govern
ment would have such power under the
recent food and fuel legislation, but
declined to commit himself on the
question of policy at this stage in the
negotiations between the operators and
the miners.
Hints, however, that the operators
will agree to the higher wage scale, II
satisfied that the government will adj
vance the .decreed price Of coal at the
mine sufficiently to pass the increase
1 in operating cost on to the consumer
were forthcoming from not a few OF
tho mine owners.
1t Is evident that serious situation
in the relations Of the operators and
the miners is developing and that the
government may be compelled to step
In and effect settlement in order to
prevent a further curtailment of pro-
duction in the face of the present fuel
shortage
Under no circumstances" DR. Gar.
field said, must we allow production
to stop. Our duty as American citi-
zens Is to produce all we can, just as
it is the duty Of American citizens in
the ranks of the army to march ahead
over all obstacles. We must put aside
for the time all questions that might
separate men under normal circum-
stances and work in the closest har-
mony There must be no suspension OF
work."
White at Miners Meeting.
After a subsequent joint session In
which the operators and the miners
officials indulged in much patriotic or
atory, the two parties separated. Mr.
White. who Is serving as one of DR..
Garfield's advisers, presided over the
miners conference.
Mr.. Modcrwell the Illinois coal op-
orator Sho is serving on the Illinois
defense council in the undertaking OF
supplying Illinois consumers with suf-
ficient coal at fair price, participated
in the conference Of the employers.
The miners drew up demands for an
increase of $1.90 in the minimum days
wage. which would give the miner from
IS to $3.50 as minimum for his work
Where coal is mined on a basis of pro-
duction, the demands propose an in
crease of 10 to 20 cents a ton in the
pay of the miners. -....
Mine Operators Rolled.
The operators, who control the BIZ
luminous coal production In Illinois
Indiana, Ohio and western Pennsyl-
vania, asserted that they can not pay
such increased wages without wiping
out their profits under the price scale
fixed by the government. They denied
emphatically that the miners are JUS
tilted by the increasing cost Of living
in demanding higher prices. They as
sert that the average miner works
only long enough to obtain sufficient
money to supply his wants: that he
can make So day under the present
scale, and that three days week is
the average time now put in by the
miners in the bituminous field.