Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-24
GARFIELD DENIES
RAISE in WAGES
TOCOAL MINERS
ADemands Violate Two-Year
Agreement, He Says; to
End Bonuses

Washington, Aug. "a. - Increase
in the wages of coal miners as a
substitute for the payment of bon
uses for the stopping of which dras-
tic steps are to be taken will not be
approved by Fuel Administrator
Garfield. President Frank ]. Hayes
and other officials of the United
Mine Workers OF America received
this answer from the fuel admins
traitor yesterday in response to their
request for a flat increase in wages
in lieu of the payment of bonuses.
Bonuses were characterized by Mr..
Garfield as IAN evil" and this sys-
tenn by which operators have COM
peted for labor will be stopped.
Doctor Garfield recalled to the
mine workers that they had signed
the so-called Washington wage
agreement under which they agreed
that wages shall not be increased
during the war, and is said to have
told them they could not justify any
demand for increased wages on the
ground that the operators were pay
ing bonuses.
The first action of the administra-
ton toward stopping bonuses was
to order a reduction of 20 cents a
ton in the price of coal in the Cam
bridge and Hooking fields of Ohio,
and of cents a ton in all other
fields of that state except those in
the eighth district.
The Ohio field, officials of the ad-
ministration said, was the heart of
the bonus practice which has led to
dissatisfaction among the miners.
The statement came to district
presidents of the United Mine Work
ers of America, who saw Doctor Gar
field, as an unpleasant surprise. They
thought they had but to request a
further wage advance and 1t would
be granted.
Last October they had come to
Washington with representatives of
the operators and though they were
then on three-year wage contract,
the fact that the United States had
meanwhile entered the war was con-
sidered a reason for a new contract.
The operators agreed to an in
crease wage scale and DR.. Garfield
then recommended to the president
n Ascent increase in the price fixed
for bituminous coal to cover the
wage increase. The new wage scale
was agreed to for two years.
II lldo uCNGlOpSu SlllCS IIlil Willie
this increase was a fair average for
the country, it was too much in some
districts and too little in others.
In some districts the labor costs
ran as high as so cents and in others
were under 40 cents.
Offered So Bonuses
With the margin remaining to the
low cost men, they began offering
bonuses to labor IS or SO a week
in commissary stores, cheaper rent
in the company houses and in some
cases a cash bonus. AS a result the
miners were lured from the COM
panies who were abiding by the
Washington October agreement
Doctor Garfield announced that
the bonus system must end.
TITS violation of our agreements
and it is disorganizing our entire pro-
ducing system. If necessary I'll take
back all or part of the As cent in
crease allowed on the price of COAL"
he announced early this month
The miners became nervous. They
had grown to regard the bonus as a
part of their wage.
''If the operators can pay a bonus,
why shouldn't it be added to the
wage?" they asked.
Cost of living is going UP, so
we have to have more money, any,
way"
And so they came in to Garfield.
He reviewed the history of their last
agreement, recalling to them that it
was for three years, but that the
operators had voluntarily agreed to
one increase early last year on in
creased cost of living and the in
crease in the price of coal resulting
from the war, and that he himself
had been a. party to a further in
crease last October because the en-
trance of the United States into the
war had been a n after that they
could not have foreseen in making
their previous agreement and en-
tirely changed all economic condi-
tions.
Two-Year Agreement
But this last agreement was made
because of our entrance into the
war, he told them, and with the full
knowledge of the fact that living
tt