New-York tribune., 1919-11-22
Officials Decide Not to In
terfere With Negotiations
Until Cabinet Meets I'm
less Situation Changes
Truce Offer Withdrawn
Miners Suggest 40 Per Cent
Advance and Refuse All
Proffers of Arbitration
Neao York Tribune
Washington Bureau

atives of the bituminous coal miners
and operators, who continued negotia-
tions here to-day in an effort to adjust
their differences, apparently had
reached complete deadlock when they
adjourned at O'Clock tonight, after a
day of pickering.
Secretary Wilson of the Department
nearly three hours, said, however, as he
left the session:
I'VE met; we talked; we quit until 2
o'clock tomorrow. l think they are
making progress.'
Secretary Wilson made no concrete
proposal for increased wages or short
ened hours. but laid before the confer
ence figures to show the increased cost
OF living.
The miners refused three definite
proposals for arbitration made by
Secretary Wilson. One proposal was
to leave everything to tribunal to be
appointed by the President. with
power to make q final decision; an
other was to submit everything to an
arbitration board of nine, four ap-
pointed by the miners, four by the
operators and one selected by the
eight members; the third to submit
questions at issue to an arbitration
board of nine, three of whom would
represent the miners, three the
operators and three selected by the
President.
High Spots of Conference
The outstanding features in the con-
ferences were:
The miners gave up their original
demands and otfo red to accept q 40
hour dav and & halt holiday on Satur-
days, all conditions peculiar to par
ticular fields to be referred back to the
proper districts for settlement.
The operators refused to accept
these demands and in turn withdrew
the offer they made yesterday Of Is
cent per ton or 20 per cent wage in
crease
Left with no concrete proposal from
operators offered TO submit the diff
ferences TO all sorts of tribunals.
These offers were refused.
Attorney General Palmer, Director
General Hines of the Railroad Admin
istration, DR.. Harry Garfield. Federal
Fuel Administrator, and c. B. Ames,
Assistant Attorney General, who has
mad charge of the court proceedings in
the miners case, conferred on the sit
uation but adjourned until Monday
without making any announcement of
the governments plans.
Embargo on Hard Coal
The fuel administration put an en-
barge on the export of anthracite coal.
Whatever measures the governmen mt
NAV find itself forced to take probably
will not be taken until after the Cabinet
meeting next Tuesday. No meeting took
place to-day, and at the conference in
which Mr. Palmer Mr.. Hines and Dr.
Garfield figured it was decided to wait
until Tuesday unless before that time
there is complete disagreement between
the miners and operators or the short
age Of coal becomes acute IN particular
sections of the country.
Those in the conference with Secre-
tary Wilson denied he had made any
reference to what the government
might do in case the negotiations
failed and said he merely presented
figures to show the cost of living in
October had advanced about so pei
cent. the suggestion being that the
miners wages should be raised to meet
that increase.
The miners proposal for Il 40 per
cent wage increase and seven-hou
day was rlade early in the a1ternoon'
after some of them had talked with
Secretary Wilson. 1t was rejected after
the operators had discussed 1t among
themselves, and Mr.. Wilson then was
invited to come IN.
Final Compromise Suggested
II was suggested tonight the com
promise finally will be made on the
basis of a 80 per cent wage increase
and q seven-hour day, with half day
on Saturday and without leaving differ
ences REGULAR to different fields to be
adinsted there. The operators par
ticularly object to this proposal, "hlc
.hav saw would merely mean that the
aoreement reached here would be taken
bacl, TO the different districts where
exception would be taken to 1t IN
few weeks and the whole controVers!
would have to be gone over again
The ex;Stinr agreement is a joint one
which applies to all districts and wa'
made only after many years IN whlcr
the districts made their own arrange
ments.
compromise on 80 per cent wage
increase with shortened hours ane
without the reference TO- districts
would be almost a tifty-htty agree
ment. 1t would enaole 'he ii'ii,N .
leaders to 90 back home and save thel
faces and still would not increas'
operating costs in anything IKE th' III
amounts involved in the original de
mands Of the miners fer 60 per cen
wage increase, six-hour day and
fve-day week
Coal Badly Needed in West
Just how serious the situation is be
coming was apparent to-day when
became known that production figure
in the governments possession SHOW
Tednesday's output of bitumin0us t
be only Al per cent nst Of normal rnr csn[ ths oya
TIE previous day, but officials ADM
that at the rate of increase it viii b'
many days until the production will b.
} sufficient to remove all danger OF H..
severe pinch in the Middle West IN
East is at present we'll stocked wltl
bituminous, and New England partlcu
larly has an ample supply for severa