Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-21
Separate Farley
Considers Increase
Proposed.
LEWIS HOLDS OUT
FOR DEAD WORK.
Says Increase Might
Be Acceptable Under
"Broad Conditions"

Bituminous coal mine operators
served what amounted to an ultima
tum on the coal miners representa-
tives here today, telling them that
yesterdays offer of an increase of Is
cents a ton and 90 per cent in the day
wage was the utmost that could be
given. The miners representatives
went into a separate conference i'm
mediately to consider the offer.
Meanwhile. neither the Attorney
General nor Fuel Administrator Gar
afeId toek visible active steps looking
toward any increase OF soft coal pro-
duetion, - aI0boesI OF fl'S --'-
That the miners positively would
2 not -accept the proposal of the oper-
.5ators was the declaration of John l.:
Lewis, acting president of the United
--Afiue Work eFs. before he went into
+sthe snteomngittee meeting at which
the ut&irhatQfn was made. Afterward
he Said fheSoffer would be given care
fuis co6afderation II it could be en-
1arged, 70 cover details of working
conditions and allowances for dead
work.
Mr.. Lewis announced after the
miners conference broke up that no
conclusion had been reached. and that
the situation stood as it had been.
the joint session again this afternoon
without having definite response to
the operators proposals.
Confer With Attorney General.
n group of operators and miners
from 1.-THE Alabama fields were called
into conference by attorney General
Palmer. and for several hours were
busy trying to iron out their differ
enees" with regard to the lockout
OF union miners who went on strike
and gought to resume their old jobs
when the strike order was res sins,
sfan with West Virginia operators
3as sse. 81 s ,s s issfs
WA said At ths Department Of
Justiee that the Attorney General
deeas net secstt9 splate ca ling In opsr-
xtSrs and miners 4ffoln other fields
regarding lockout. troubless because
In this. matter has prevailed in Ala
haHna and West Virginia"
The wage SCALE subcommittee nego-
tiationss are. Being conducted in "a
1eisurefy manner at the Washington
Hotel The opponents appear to be
perepnallysoI,rthe best of terms Most
OF the operators and miners call one
another sbY'respeetiye first names. and
IneTe IL 20 IdCh VI hiu-
ding.%5yAs one observer said: They
seem 10 be having a pretty good time.
but don't sseem, to be- getting any
where, In the business of giving the
eonntfy normal coal production"
Wduld Not Amount to Increase.
Mr.. Lewis said the 20 per cent in
crease of pay together with an in
crease Of the price of supplies which
the miner must buy, contained in the
operatorS offer would in net results
Ennourlt to no Increase whatever to
HReet-ef the miners. Thus. he pointed
0fIwould not be accepted.
@NSee34s-of-thousa of miners In
theEunfon areUHable, because Of thin
ceaA VEINS te>Re0duee- more than a
t0Gand a half OF CuxfEdaX Lewis
exPia4Aes,s-"I the richef-aiRAs ~the
productton.runs to about TWO anita
half tons pef-S4AAn. So you see-th1
justffoation of our position In the
poor mines such an Increase as offered
would amount at best to about 25
centsfa day raise in the individuals
Fay. We could't stand for that"
Both operators and miners repre-
senting the Ohio fields. were OF the
opinion that the proposed increase in
cost of supplies would amount to lit
tie in that region, whereas 20 per
cent increase in pay would give the
average miner about 81 a day more, or.
say, a TOTAL VI 20 per Ody. II was eA-
planned that the increase in cost of
supplies would affect principally the
miners in the southwestern fields.
Predict Garfield Will Act.
As any contract agreed to by the
operators and miners must receive the
approval of Fuel Administrator Gar
field, some observers believed he would
step In before the negotiations be-
tween miners and operators reached
an impasse.
There were-reports that Secretary
of Labor Wilson has proposed wage
advance of 30 per cent. Some of the
operators are of the opinion that Sec
rotary Wilson and Fuel Administrator
Garfield must come to an agreement
on the amount of the advance before
there could be further progress in me-
gotiations.
Meanwhile reports received here in
Dictated that the scarcity Of coal was
becoming increasingly acute. While
the enforcement of the priority order
Of the fuel administration was placed
in the hands of regional coal com
mittees, composed of railway direc-
tors and representatives of DR.. Gar
field, word has been passed out from
Washington to clamp on restrictions
as tightly as local conditions would
hermit.