The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-08-09
DAVIES MED|ATES
 LABOR TROUBLE
THREATENED STRIKE IN UNITED
 VERB INVERTED BY INCREASE
 IN WAGES 75 CENTS PER DAY.


 controversy which has been agitating the Verde District for the past month or sc, a final decision was rendered by Hywell Davies, alternate labor ad- ministrator for this district, and at meetings held on July 31st in Je- rome. Clarkdale and Verde the em- ployes decided to abide by his award and continue working.
 Mr.. Davies arrived in Jerome sev- eral days ago, after number of con ferences with MT. Chas. w. Clark, general manager of the United Verde Copper Co, in Los Angeles, and inn mediately went into session with com mittees representing the Central La bor Union.
 Since making their demand for a flat increase of $1. 10 per day, all companies operating in the state of Arizona had voluntarily increased wages 50 cents per day when the price of copper was arised by the War h. dustries Board to 26 cents per pound.
 At a meeting with twenty-eight rep resentatives held in Clarkdale on July 30th., Mr. Davies announced that he had decided to order an increase of 50 cents per day (the sum already given by the companies.) The com n,ittee then unanimously notified the mediator that unless he granted the demanded increase of $1 10 per day by this afternoon there would be a general walk-out ordered which would tie up all the mines and the two smelters of the district.
 Notices to the effect that a walk out was declared for 3:30 p. m. today (July 31st) were posted and when the time came for the afternoon shifts to report for work at the United Verde and United Verde Extension only about half the usual number of men reported for work. At Clarkdale and Verde, the smelter towns, the men went back to work for tonight pend ing the decision of the meetings to be held
 Secretary of Labor William B. Will son took hand in the situation and this morning the following wire was received from him by the unions of the district Jerome Central Labor Union,
 Jerome, Arizona.
 Clarkdale Workmen's Council,
 CIarkdale, Arizona.
 q learn with great>anxiety reports of threatened strike in the Jerome camps. The national, interest justifi- es me in asking you to take no step which will in the slightest delay or impair continued production of cop per. The means of determining any of your grievances are provided for by the government through the pres ence of Administrator Hywell Davies, whose fairness and ability to work out the right of such a situation as you are in has been tested by ex- perience. Nothing is to be gained by a step on your part which will embar- rass the needed production of muni- tions and will also embarrass the or derly process upon which MT. Davies is now engaged in adjusting the situ- ation. I confidently make this appeal to you and ask you to wire me at once that the men are continuing at work and that you in their behalf are cooperating with MT. Davies in work ing out a peaceful settlement
 William B. Wilson,
 Secretary of Labor.
 Following is the award made by MT Davies, and referring to the Judge Lewis agreement, he refers to the agreement entered into between the employees and companies whereby de- cisions were to be left to federal ad- ministrator, the same to be final and biLding:
 Administrators Award.
 By virtue of the powers conferred On the undersigned as alternate labor administrator by joint agreement made with Judge E. W. Lewis as spec ial commissioner representing the presidents mediation commission in Jerome on November IS, 1917, here by make the following award in the matter of CD wages, CD rents. (3) lights and water rates, after investi- gating the claims submitted by the employees for readjustment.
 CD While the general fiat advance of fifty cents (50 cents) put in effect all over the state is hereby approved as more than fulfilling the obligations under the sliding scale, but owing to certain local conditions in Jerome partly created by two recent fires which have congested housing and rooming conditions which have made living expenses relatively higher in Jerome than in other mining camps of the state, and partly due to the failure to carry out building program by the United Verde as rapidly as condi- tions seemed to warrant, the wages scale in the Jerome District is hereby further advanced twenty-five cents (25 cents) per day, or total of seventy. five cents (75 cents) per day to every employe working on per diem rate effective from the 1st day of July, 1918
 In making this rate the proposition