The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-19
MAY AGREE ON /
WAGE SCALE THIS
week, IS CLAIM
Government Discards Plan To
Take Over Mines.
New Wage Proposal Before
|. Miners Some Time Today.
OPERATORS ARE PROTESTING
Say They Are Forced To Nego.
tiate Under Duress. /,
Miners Complain to Secretary
Y Wilson of LockOuts. 4
OPERATORS ARE PROTESTING

Washington, Nov. 1e.-Scale cons
mittees of bitufninous miners and
operators in the central competitive
field went into executive session to-
day to negotiate a wage contract after
Federal Fuel Administrator Garfield
had urged upon them the necessity for
adjusting their differences and produce
ing the coal the country needs.
Washington, Nov. 19-Coal opera
tors and miners will come to an agree-
ment this week. labor department of
metals predicted today before the OPEN
ing of a joint conference called by
Fuel Administrator Garfield.
The possibility that the government
would have to take over the mines
and operate them pending negotiations
to insure a supply of fuel has been
discarded by the government, labor
department officials explained uno<-
ficially.
Operators today were expected to
bring out and place before the miners
the wage proposal on which they have
been working since Saturday. This
will be done at Garfield's conferences.
Wage Proposal Ready.
Operators completed this proposal
late yesterday. They planned to call
the miners into a joint session to ex-
plain 1t. Then came Doctor Garfield's
invitation to confer and the operators
decided not to reveal the proposal
until after hearing the fuel adminis-
traitor.
Garfield will tell miners and opera
tors they must hasten agreement, 1t is
understood. He first called the con-
ference for late yesterday. But all the
miners could not be reached.
Returning Miners Complain.
| kilograms and letters from miners
in all parts of the country are flooding
the desks of Secretary Wilson and At
torney General Palmer, explaining that
operators are refusing to reinstate
striking miners who wish to return to
work.
Operators complained that altho the
strike has been officially called off
few men are returning to work. Oper-
ators protest that they are being
forced to Negotiate under duress.
At Palmer's office today it was said
little justification has been found for
the complaint of the miners that oper-
ators are discriminating against union
men.
Kansas Receivers Unwilling.
Pittsburg. Kan. Nov. 19.-The next
move in the states program to operate
Kansas coal mines under a receiver
ship created by the supreme court at
Topeka was unknown here early to-
day.
The receivership plan apparently
has received something of a setback
await the outcome of the national coal
conference in Washington before re-
turning to work and to the fact that
not all of the three receivers appointed
by the court are willing to serve.
| Many persons on both sides today
! looked to Gov. H. J. Allen. who is in
the coal fields to induce the men to
return to work. for a statement that
would clarity the situation. The gov
| ernor was scheduled to address sew
eral miners mass meetings during the
day. Further efforts to arrange a con-
ference between him and union Of
ficia1s were expected
Local strike leaders contend, how
ever. that they have no authority to
discuss the return to work of the men.
Governor Allen was expected to con-
fer with members of the supreme
court probably tomorrow In regard to
the appointment of another receiver
to represent the men. Willard Titus OF
| Girard. originally appointed by the
| court, having declined to serve. IT,
| tus based his refusal upon the ground
| that he had not been authorized to
perform the duties by officials of the
Mine Workers Union, of which he Ii
member.