Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-11-15
Thirty Hour Week and SO Per Gem
Increase in Wages Impossible to
Grant, -Standpat Position Of 0pel-
atoTs On Wage Agreement
Also Out Of the Question
SOME "IMPOSSIBILITIES"

s|o4fk1 u A4AtJ
Washington. Nov. 14-Demands of
union miners for thirty hour week
and d sixty per cent increase IN
wages are lmpossibiiities and ought
10 be eliminated at the very begin
ming" Secretary Wilson declared to-
day in opening the conference be-
tween union officials and operators,
called ny MIN 10 settle the differences
existing in the coal industry.
The stand pat nosition taken by
the operators heretofore also is an
impossibiiiiy sald the secretary
Admitting that the Washington wage
agreement still was in force. the sea-
retary declared the people were no.
"Shylocks' and did moi want 20 exact
the technical provisions of a bond
when me conditions under which the
bond was made, have changed"
Reviewing previous negotiations al
Buffalo. Philadelphia. and Washing
ton. the secretary said the failure 10
reach an agreement had resulted IN
but also in other fields where no de-
Inands had been made upon The OPP
orators"
Miners II The outlying fields. he
added were not al fault. because OF
their failure 10 present demands. be-
cause II was well known that the
miners had been willing nat all dis
trIcts he represented in negotiating
{ wage scale and tina. all objec-
rlons had come from Lhe opera Iors. :"
"A Dove all" said the secretary
we are confronted with tn. fact
thar the great mass OF people de
pendent upon coal in their everyday
life are Interested in reaching a set
tement not only in the central coal
fields but in all coal fields Il is for
thai reason ! have asked your meet
ing mere.
Il desire to recommend that aage
scale committees representaflva nj
all the fields proceed 10 necorla-r an
adjustment. I want TO point on1 TO
YOU that prompt action is necessary.
AS long as voIT roubies were local In
character. only affecting small
part of communities. there was no
disposition 10 hurry YOU, but when
your disputes take on d magnl ude
that affects the entire country then
the people az large as n mater of
self preservation are lns,stent that
you come TO Il settlement
THE miners conference demanded
a 30-hour week, 90 per cent, in
crease in wages and some other
things. II is fair 70 say to YOU
now that 30 hour week in the pra-
sent industrial condition of the
world Is Impossible in coal mining. I
realize the fact that miners seldom
have an opportunity to work a 80
hour week now when the maximum
Is IS hours. If YOU make d maximum
of 80 hours under the conditions sur
rounding the mining industry il
means an effective working week OF
very much fewer hours than that"
NO one knows" continued the
secretary. to what extent produc-
tion would ne reduced by the intro
duction of a SIX hour working day.
and in these times when we have not
YET recovered from the effects of the
war we cannot afford to undertake.
the experiment of reducing working
hours To six per day and five DAYS
per week"
Referring to demands from miners
for Sixty per cent increase IN
wages the secretary said such an in
crease is an impossibility as it
would give the miners wages out of
proportion to chose in other indus
tries.
Continued on Page Col. 81