Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-11-26

. made to the miners and
operators late today by
Fuel Administrator DR..
Garfield.
Final decision was reached by the
cabinet at the meeting today, it was
said The fuel administrator called
joint session of operators and min
ers fer ) y. m. 20 receive the decision.
While no statement would be given
out as to what the decision was it
was reported that Mr. Gartleld had
won his point for an increase OF from
90 to Is per cent in miners wages.
as against the 81 per cent as proposed
by Secretary Of Labor Wilson and
J agreed to by the miners.
DR. Garfields statement to the min
ers and operators was expected to
be somewhat in the nature of an ulti'
matum The increase was said to be
acceptable to the operators, but grave
doubt was expressed as to whether
the miners would approve it,
After the cabinet meeting there was
Il general impression that the opera
tors would be called upon to bear
practically all of the proposed wage
, increase, but officials withheld com
ment Thus far the position of the
union officials has been that they
could not accept anything less than
the original claim Of the Cleveland
convention for 50 per cent increase
! of wages and thirty hour week.
I without approval OF that convention.
! Should they hold to this view. it was
said several weeks might elapse be-
fore a final settlement was reached.
| Meanwhile so many miners over the
country had remained on strike that
the coal situation had reached what
officials described as national
crisis" t
Steps to meet the situation until
something like normal production had
been restored We're under considera-
tion by the fuel administration cen
trail committee with an order prohib-
tting the manufacture Of coke design
ed as the first move in the nation
wide campaign.
The controversy in the cabinet cen,
tered around the proposals OF Fuel
Administrator Garfield that in COM
putting wage increases the advances
made to all miners in the contral COM
petitive field be taken into considera-
ton ana of Secretary Wilson that the
increase to pick miners be the basis.
( Mr. Wilson's proposal was supported
, today by John l.. Lewis, acting presi-
dent OF the United Mine Workers.
( who said the calculation for wage ad
vances since 1918 should be based on
( rates throughout the country and
not merely in the central competitive
field
/ Pick mining has been taken as
basis of every wage contract includ-
ing the 1919,
Cabinet Deadocked
Washington. Nov 2b.--ProspeCtS for
the general resumption Of coal min
ing in the United States today Sill
swung around the expected action or
the federal government, Cabinet MEM
Ders who spent all of yesterday in ses'
sion, without. however, enlisting the
ac-ual participation OF President Will
son in the pTocedure-were again try
ing to reach decision.
That there was difference of 0pln-
ion among the cabinet members as 10
what advance Goa miners should re-
ceive APPEARED certain though none
of them were prepared to discuss the
matter.
SO tar the only definite proposal
from Governmental sources has been
:, tina. made by secretary of Labor Wit
son last week for an increase OF 81
per cent III the pay of miners over
the scale given them in 1911. This
the operators rejected. processing an
uuwillingness TO accept 1t without di-
rect authorization from Fuel Admin
lister Garfield for the increase IN coal
prices which they said would be nee
essdry to sustain the increase. u
was assumed that cabinet was unwlll-
ing as yet TO unite upon ii labor mem
ber~' proposal
AT sheridan Wyo., six miners today
were under arrest charged with vio-
q lating the strike injunction issued oy
Federal Judge A B. Anderson at Ind
annapolis They we're believed to be
- the first workers taken il.Jo custody
= under that restraining order.
SIX Wyoming Miners Arrested.
Chicago. Nov 26.--Prugress today
Of the national strike of bituminous
coal miners into the twenty sixth day
=, was without marked development re-
garding the situation at the mines
themselves.
In the central vest the coming OF
j cold weather forecast for today, was
, expected to add to the discomfort
which had been held in abeyance by
{ mild temperature during the past sew.
4Copt;,ues on n,e = ,ol A