Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-11-19
COMPARTMENT T() FORCE NORMAL M|NNC OF COAL Garfield Calls Joint Meeting of Scale Committees for
 Today. SHUTDOWN THREATEN
 SCORES OF PLANTS Action of Governor Allen of Kansas in Throwing Mines Into Re- ceiverships Fe4red by
 Operatort

ceiverships Fe pred by
 Operatort
 Washington, Nov. 18EThe govern ment stepped to the fhnt today to force miners and operators to nego- tiate new wage agreement and re- sume work in the bituhinous fields before the country is iA the grip of a coal famine.
 Clothed with all of l& wartime powers as fuel administrator and act ing by direct authority d the presi- dents cabinet, Dr. HarryA Garfield called joint meeting of(scale com mittee's at which he was Expected to give formal notice that thk time had come to resume mining Operations on normal scale.
 The joint conference will be held tomorrow. Meanwhile word kas pass ed that the strike situation fhd reach ed that point where action kas re- garded imperative.
 There was no evidence, as present ed to the cabinet, that thu scale committees, called last week to nego- tiate new wage agreement had made any headway. Reports\ from the central competitive fields, en- bracing the states of Illinois, h. diana, Ohio, and Weste,n Pdnnsyl- vania, strongholds of the United Mine Workers of America, showed all mines shut down and not enough coal from non-union plants to meet the demand by several million tons.
 Yther reports from widely separ- ated sections brought the same story of rapidly vanishing coal supply, with indications that hundreds of lin- dustrial plants would be forced to close shortly unless coal production was put back to normal. In the view of many officials, the situation was critical enough to demand drastic
 Kansas Action Feared.
 Although he would not discuss the nature of the statement he was pre- pared to lay before the operators and miners, it was said on high authority that Dr. Garfield was pre- to the chief representatives or the mine owners and mine workers. There was no intimation as to what , direction governmental action would take in case the deadlock continued.
 Steps taken by Kansas to operate the mines under government author ity and fear by both sides that other states would do likewise, were urged as strong reason for settlement of the dispute.
 The operators scale committee sent word to the miners that it was not ready to meet them in joint ses- sion. Commenting on statemen. issued tonight by their executive committee denying that the confer ence lis being held up because of differences and indecisions on the part of the operators" spokesmen for the operators declared their policy has been under consideration in their secret sessions.
 The probable attitude of the ad- ministration and the fact that the miners have not returned to work were said to be the principal sub- jects which have occupied thei rtime The failure of the United Mine Work CTS of America to tell the men to re. turn to their jobs was said to have left the negotiations in virtually the same state as when the threat of g strike caused the break up of the Buffalo meeting.
 Deal With Aliens. The action of Governor Allen in throwing Kansas mines into the hands of a receiver admittedly was causing operators much concern Harry N.. Taylor, president of the National Coal association, and Frec w. Lukins, of Kansas City, presi. dent of the Southwestern Coal Opera tors association, conferred with Assistant Attorney GeGneral Amas with respect to Illegal phases" of the situation.
 Mir. Lukins teleghaped Governor Allen that his organization was ready to make wage scales, which may be adjusted later, retroactive to the date on which the miners return to work. Operators, he said, will meet with the union officials of dis trict No. IA, embracing all of Kan. sas, for discussion of the new wage contract, immediately after the con- ference here is ended.
 "If Governor Allen can get the miners back to work that's fine,' said MT. Lukins, who added that the operators would be justified in seek ing an injunction in a federal court if the governor gave them bonuses to return
 Other officials expressed the be- lief that the Kansas miners would not go back unless their demands were fully met.
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