Norwich bulletin., 1919-11-28

fhc nationwide coal Strlke were broken off late today, and wage scale committees of miners and operators adjourned sine die. Miners repre- een.irr all districts in the United States went into executive session i'm rneciately afterward to decide the ui..on policy toward the strike.
 iu the course of a ilve-hour de- bee preceding the break the operat- ora offered 10 accept the government proDosii made by Fuel Administrator Garfield last night, for 14 per cent. increase in wages and no increase in the price of coal. This the miners rejected. presenting afterward a pro poszi for an increase of S1 per cent. as suzSested several days ago by Sec retary oi Labor ilson. The operators voted T. down. Thereafter John L. Lewis. presi- dani ot ihe United Mine Workers, moved a final adjournment, which uas interrupted by d proposal from the operatois suggesting that the waolc question be referred to arb;- tratiou This is the mine workers vouid not accept an dthe Lewis mo u3n 70 adjourn was put and tAe confe-enee dissolved.
 T ". Guthrie. oi Pittsburgh. aet- i.s en1..uan of the operators com ni..tea. sn.d that no attempt would tl made bv the operators to reas- s..nhie fhe conference under any cir cumstsntes and that they were going home Lewis then sent out u call for aA thc miners representatives in the eiN. those representing the outlying 6isr, cie not having participated in the proceedings, refusing meanwhile to make aii. statement in advance Of tic session.
 sf..- .. ..to,-r,,,- ,easson lasting aI hour Inc miners adjourned sine die. Lewis save out a statement declaring thS miners efforts to bring about q settlement of tie whole coal contro- Vt.r.y had ended
 if,pts hehiud ciosed doors that the c-t- zi yat.on reached its climax to- day after involving the full attention oe the federal government for two cays urerfously. There was much hcsted oIatoty, but T. N. Guthrie, of Pitfshurgii. netting chairman of the op- era;ors committee, described the par liameuiary procedure succinctly as he c;.me 0ul. The operators, by a pre- orrangod plan, nottaed the miHers c.mmisIec Tor fhe. central competitive hsid yf heir aeceptance of Dr. Gar- 6elti i-iaEs sa
 Th.s lie mine workers promptly voleh disvr. Jr turn. the miners put ANtNhAffN ff llldl GoEC- rc-ary Wison's suggestion for a s1.66 per cent wags increase be granted e.N tlis 1hcr operators fiatly refused Tar the third time. the operators re re7sci their formal offer of arbitration Dld this the miners voted down tud unaplmously an adjournment waf Noted.
 rThe operators are pretending to. ac- eept Da.. Garfield's proposal" Mir Lewis said. naRifesting sden anu in eignstion as he called the newspaper men around him il the Uttered and noisy hall thst was the scene of the sii-day gatherings.
 "But as they do it they state thel are unable to operate many of thei mines under it. T. would be foolisl fer us to attempt to make an agree ment unless the miners are to be givel work.
 -Our position Is unchanged. W, ibid the United States governmen cannot break its word. The pledge O Secretary Wilson to grant us d 3 per cent. increase must be redeemed in my judgment Dr. Garfield and tn fablnet have committed the most col bssal Diunder in the history of our ma Non. They arc blindly following al academic theory, without regard t Justice to the mine workers or ef seets on the. people of the Unite e:s.es.
 Responsibility for the crisis no, confronting the nation must be wit tilose statesmen using the powers ( koverlment 10 oppress and deny jus lice 10 a great element of it's citizen min directly concerned in industr. ''i cannot believe the people of ou country will indorse such a policy astnraarfnT and ranFnaQfnf1 urafr aleans continued chaos and intens suffering on the part of the min workers and our citizenship"
 with that Lewis brushed away a Gssetioners. His assistants. howeve confirmed, the impression that thei would be no resumption of work the mining camps now closed.
 Operators, less communicativ went away with varying resolution One or two had reached determin; tica they said. 10 attempt coal produ, ton. regardless of tho strikers, bl most of them were in doubt on tn point. Acting Chairman Guthrie il dicated that as an organized bod they had ceased to function, and tn individual necessity and inclinatio would govern their action, though 2 would wait a little 10 see. what il government proposed. -, -l.
 The open letter to Dr. Garfield sa that in view of the serious situatio the wage scale committee for the eel trsi field would accept his suggest basis of settlement, preserving pre- ert differentiais.r ..E,
 At the same time we wish to e your attention to the fact that t acceptance of this increase in wag without any increase in selling pric Of bituminOus coal entirely eliminat tae profits of large number of | zplnes." 1t continued. Such a lar ,-~2umber. in fact, we fear the produ / ticn of coal will be seriously affectt We understand that operating stati ties for 1919 are not now in your DO session and we shall rely upon t government, when such statistics a properly assembled and presented. make such adjustments in selling pri es as will permit these mines to ma Euch, fair and reasonable profits they are entitled to under the Lev set"
 Though officially all of the pr eeedinks today were in wage scs cor1rnittess of operators and mint for the central fields all serublance sectional discussion was dropp. An districte of the United States we represented at the final outcome q the action taken was national in bearings.
 Secretary Green of the minework, accused Dr. Garfield of doing gres sn3uxtice 10 a million miners" in ma frg his oraiysis of the situation a