Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-29
OPERATORS READY
TO REOPEN MINES
Prepared to Pay IA Per Cent
Wage Advance as Suggested
by Garfield
WILL ENFORCE INJUNCTION
Ry Associated Press

Washington, Nov. 29.-lThe battle
ground of the conflict over new wage
scale in the bituminous coal industry,
which has centered here during two
weeks Of fruitless negotiations, today
shifted to the various fields in all sec
tions Of the country.
Operators returning home to attempt
to reopen their mines and ready to pay
the fourteen per cent wage advance sug
gested by Fuel Administrators Garfield
received the assurance Of the govern
ment that troops were ready 20 pro
tect from violence any miner wishing
to return TO work. At the same time,
notice was served that the failure of
operators TO cooperate with the gov
ernment in restoring coal production TO
normal would result in Federal control
Of the properties.
Federal district attorneys having been
instructed relative to proceeding against
either operators or miners restricting
the output of coal. the Department OF
Justice simply awaited developments.
Any move on the part Of mine work
ers or their leaders to interfere with
work in the mines will be dealt with
promptly Those who can bo reached
by injunction proceedings will be
stopped in that way from interfering
with any of the strikers who want to
return to work Those who escape
the arm of the law will be prevented
by military force from preventing those
who want to work from digging coal.
Terre Haute, Ind, Nov. 29.-(By A.
P.(-Operators in the Indiana field will
not offer as an inducement to miners to
resume work any guarantee of q price
for mining coal beyond the II per cent
increase named in Fuel Administrator
Gartield's proposal.
| This statement was made today at
headquarters of the Indiana Bituminous
Coal Operators Association, in connec
! tion with press dispatches stating that
| operators would insure to the miners
| guarantee of any price that might be
agreed upon in the future.
Notices were posted at all mines to-
day to the effect that coal production,
| beginning today, would be paid for ut q
scale based upon a ID per cent IN
| crease.
Individual miners here say there will
be no break in the union ranks until
scale agreement is made and signed.
Charleston, w. Va, Nov. 29.--(By
| A. 2. "A conference of operators and
miners representatives in the hapawha
coal district was continued here today in
| hopes JnuU I'm uBTeelueuJ CUuiO pe ituSu
ed whereby the mines which are closed
may resume operations. Conferences
held yesterday brought little results to
ward resumption, 80 far as it could be
learned.
Pittsburgh, Nov. 29.-(By A. P.)-,-
REPRESENTATIVES of coal operators who
returned yesterday from the Washing
ton conference declared today they were
ready to operate the mines in the Pitts
burgh district upon the governments
terms. They said they were ready also
to have the government operate the
mines, according to its intention an
nounced yesterday and would co oper.
ate in every possible measure.
Columbus, O., Nov. 29.--(ByaA. p
Walter D. Mckinney, secretary of
the Southern Ohio Coal Exchange, to
day sent out notices to virtually all Ohio
soft coal mines that the increase Of
IA per cent proposed by the government
would become effective at once. No
Ohio company, Mr.. Mckinney said, to
his knowledge was guaranteeing the
difference between the government scale
proposal and the scale which may finally
! he decided upon,