The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-11-26
TO
COAL FACTIONS
COMING TO-DAY.
Gafield'S % Percent Hike
Agreed On, Belief.
JOINT MEETING CALLED
Announcement viii Be Made
at 5 O'clock,

WASHINGTON. Nov. 2s-A definite
and final statement on behalf Of the
government In tho coal wage con.
troversy will he made TO the operators
and miners late today by Fuel Admins
istrator Garfield.
Final decision was roacted by the
cabinet at the meeting today, Or Gar.
field and Secretary Wilson said The
fuel administrator called a Joint sos-
sion OF the operators and miners for
.. m. TO receive the decision.
While neither Or. Garfield nor mem.
bers OF the cabinet would say what tho
cabinets decision was. II was reported
that the fuel administrator had won his
point for an increase OF from 20 10 Is
percent In miners wages AZ against tho
III percent proposed hy Secretary Wi.
son and agreed to by the miners
Uitimatur Expected.
Mr.. Garfield's statement 10 the
miners and operators was expected to
he somewhat In tie nature Of an
uitimatum. The 20 TO ?s percent In.
crense was understood to he acceptabls
to the operators. bu, grave doub, was
expressed as TO whether the miners
would approve IL,
After the cabinet meeting there was a
somewhat general impression that tho
operators would be called upon IN benp
practically all OF the proposed wass
Increase. but officials withheld com.
ment.
Thus far the position OF the nina
union officials has been that they could
not accept anything less than the
original demands OF the Cleveland con.
vention for 90 percent Increase in
wases and q 3o-hour week without
the approval OF that convention. should
they hold to this view after msetin.
Ut. Garfield said Il might he that sew
efai weekh would elapse before 4 final
settlement wss reached.
meantime. 10 many miners over The
country had remained on strike thst
inc coal situation had reached what
OFFICIALS described m national
cfss steps 10 meet the situation uu.
w something like normal production
mad been restored. were under con.
nderation by the fuel administration's
central coal committee with an order
prohibiting the manufacture OF coke
designed s the FIRST move In the
nationwide campaign.
oarf'eid's Proposals Ar ,usd.
The controversy In the cabinet cent.
ered around the proposals Of Fuel Ad.
mlnistrntor Garfield that In computing
wage Increases the advances made 10
+ ell miners In the central competitive
feld be taken into consideration and
OF Secretary Wilson that the increase
TO pick miners be the basis.
Mr.. Wilson'S proposal was supporteA
today by John L. Lewis. acting peeal.
dent OF the United Mine worktrs vho
SAID the calculation Of wage advances
since 1918 should bs based on ratee
throughout tho country and not merely
In the central competitive field.
Pick mining has bssn taken A. =
OASIS OF every vNss contract. incluA.
ing the 1911 Washington agreement. Mr..
Lewis said.
Taking iasus with the eperators'
statement that only % percent Of the
miners In the central territory use the
pick, Mr.. Lewis said the number OF
men In the four states. Pennsylvania.
oh'o. indiana and Illinois. on pick and
machine work were practically equal.
| &. Production Considered.
In the country as whole, he con-
| unued. about As percent OF tonnage
produced is dug ont with pick hut ~
high ss 80 percent Of the total number
| of employees are on pick work. This
disparity was due. he said n the htgh
| productivity OF machine methods.
Statistics compiled by state labor de-.
psr,ments Lewis said show that only
y percent of the employees in tho oen- :
| tral field are day iahorcrs instead OF
| 10 percent ms claimed by the opera tors.
Replying 10 the position Of tho opcr.
niofs that the $40 per day Increase In
wages awarded day hb0rers In 1917.
should be given, eadai weight with
other wage advances In computing the
ayefnse wags increase, Mr.. Lewis said,
this awnrd was made 10 put tho day
workers on parity with men on
tonnage basis and should not be IN.
cludcd In any average.
PlTTsBURG. Rnsas Nov. 49,
Governor Henry .Allen LEFT Pittos
burg this mornIns'ySr Topeka, expeUes'
Ing TO Issue eal ffom his oCflce ~
the capitol TO-DAY fcr volunteers Il -
tho steam shoyelr In the Ksnean Iil
fields t'1g
I'd