Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-11-27
Offer Of IA Per Cent In.
crease Openly Declared %n-
suIting' and Miner President
Says It Won't Be Accepted.
OPERATORS BELIEVE
MEMS STAND FINAL
Fuel Administrator StipuIates
That There Shall Be No In
crease in the Price of Coal
Paid by the American Public.

Washington. Nov. 26.-A govern
ment plan for settling the soft coal
strike, which embodied IA per cent
wage increase for miners and the
stipulation that there should be no
increase i'll the price paid by the
public, was laid before miners and
operators tonight by Fuel Admins
traitor Garfield.
John l.. Lewis, acting president of
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, announced that the miners
would not accept.
Alter three-hour conference, at
which representatives of the miners
openly declared the new scale was
insulting" and sharply questioned
DIR. Garfield, the subscale committee
composed of miners and operators
met to consider the settlement plan
and quickly adjourned. - Another
meeting will be held tomorrow.
Operators Will Negotiate.
The miners refusal to accent,
while not announced to DR.. Garfield
was taken by the operators to be
definite. Thomas T. Brewster, chair
man of the operators association,
declared the Garfield IA per cent
statement formally eliminated Secre-
tary Wilson's proposal for a 80 per
cent increase.
The operators are ready to nego-
tiate a new wage agreement" Brew
ster said, despite Dr.. Garheld's
statement that the government will
not permit an advance in the price
of coal"
While the subscale committee viii!
give consideration to the PROPOSE
ton, the full committee representing
both sides, will remain here to re-.
ceive any plan of settlement that
might be agreed upon.
William Green, secretary of the
United Mine Workers, declared to-
morrow would see the end of all ne
gotiations, as the operators are op-
POSED to granting any increase and
the miners cannot proceed OH the
hgures given by DR.. Garfield" Many
Of the miners said they agreed With
Alexander Howat, president of the
Kansas miners, who announced that
If we are unable to receive a wage
here that will guarantee us a decent
living sos days in the year we will
go home and fight for while"
Accepts Wilson's Estimate.
In explaining his statement at the
joint conference d.. Garfield said
that in computing the wage advance
he had accepted Secretary Wilson's
estimate of 70 per cent increase in
the cost of living since 1913, which
was the highest estimate made by
anybody.
DR.. Garfield declared that miners
today were receiving higher wages
without the IA per cent increase than
any other class of workers in the
country.
At the opening of the meeting DR..
Garfield read his statement care
fully while both sides gave him the
closest attention. He declared that
it was not a proposal, but state
ment of fact.
Lewis, jumping to his feet. at the
conclusion of the fuel administra-
tors statement, wanted to know
what had become of the proposal by |
Secretary Wilson.
"The miners came to Washing
tofi," Lewis said, "at the request of
Secretary Wilson, who is author
lied under the law to arbitrate dis
putes. We understood that he repre-
sented the cabinet and indirectly the
president himself. Acting in his Of
fetal capacity Secretary Wilson Of
fered the miners an advance OF
81 6-l0 per cent.
Does the government intend to
(Contipued on Page Two. Column Two,