New-York tribune., 1919-11-01

hour week than they are now making
in a forty eight-hour week. The eX-
preston bank to bank" means from
tne time the miner enters the mine un-
III he leaves it. Allowing for time con-
sumed in transit within the mine the
operators say that siX-hour day
means only five actual working hours
Ia day or twenty-five week
| The sixth paragraph of the report
eshoWs an intention to forbid double
shlfts, so that even on six-hour day
Hhe operators VIII not be permitted to
work second shift six hours, to say
nothing OF third shift. thus limiting
the total soft coal production of the
country to the amount that can be
dug and holsted in SIN, or as the op-
orators contend, in five hours out Of
twenty four. The object of this de
fnand is to prevent the building up in
rush seasons of working force that
may become idle in slack seasons. and
10 Keep the mines running steadily
throughout the year.
Another purpose in forbidding
double shift work, with certain excen-
tiions, is to prevent the enlargement Of
tne present productive capacity of the
mlnes, which would tend to keep in
terror and expensive mines in opera
tlon at all times. thus jnsuring to the
present number of mine WORKERS a
prospect of continuous cmployment
where they are now established. as
well as tending to promote the opening
h new mines, with additional oppor-
tunlties for employment
Paragraph seven is designed to alb
rogate the existing penalty clauses in
agreements. whereby each party is fined
Tor violations of agreements. AS the
miners nave had many "illegal" strikes
q" violation of agreements, the fines
HN'e peen heavy tax on their treasu-
ries, which they now seek to escape.
Paragraph eight is so worded as to
remove the limitation that has hereto
tore existed on "internal"-t is. dis
and miners. Heretofore local agree
ments IN variation from the central
neld basis in order to meet local condi-
tons have been limited to such meas
Nres as would not increase the cost of
production. This change would omen
the way to endless local disputes after
the national basic agreement had been
arrived at
The Washington Agreement
Heretofore agreements between op-
orators and miners have expired with
the ending of the commercial coal
year. March 81. The miners now wish
to change this date to November ], be-
cause that is the time of the maxi
mum demand for coal, and would
theretore, give them an advantage in
pared with the beginning Of spring,
when the demand is slack.
At present the soft coal mining IN
dustry OF the country is operating
basically under national agreement,
known as the Washington agreement.
the first truly national agreement the
industry ever had. This was war
product, forced by the fuel admins
tratlon as means Of pacifying and
centrally controlling the industry dur
ing the war. This agreement was to
last until the end of the war or until
March 81, 1920, if the war was still
at that time.
In paragraph nine the miners con-
vention assumed that the Washington
agreement would terminate November
l. The miners say that the war is
really over, even though the United
States has not ratified the treaty of
peace and peace has not been formally
proclaimed. Nevertheless, when the
" ashington agreement was signed, it
was the understanding that the ending
OF the war meant the date on which
peace is promulgated"
Lewis Blamcs Senate
Tho miners do not dispute that the
Washington agreement contemplated
the formal ending of the war before
March 81, 1920, as the date of the
termination Of the agreement, but, IL
the words Of Acting President Lewis, |
they say: 1--WE are in no way respon-
slble for the failure of the Senate of
the United States to ratify the treaty
OF peace within a reasonable length of
TINE and thus officially terminate the |
bituminous fields"
Without any general or long-con
tlnued agitation of the naturalization
OF the mines and without any real de- !