The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-11-28
SEIZURE OF
MINES TO Be
next MOVE?
Government Threatens to
Take Over All Properties
Not Operated will Protect
Miners Who Work.
The west IS FREEZING
(By Associated Press)

10Y ASSOCldteu 1'TeSS)
WASHINGTON, Nov 2s Seizure
OF bituminous coal mines where the
owners do not show a disposition to
cooperate in increasing production,
and use Of troops to protect all miners
who desire to work, has been decided
upon by the government in an effort
to end the bituminous coal strike. 1t
was stated today officially.
In mines seized by the government.
the IA per cent wage advance agreed
upon by the conference will be put in
to immediate effect, it was said.
These plans Of the government were
agreed upon by the cabinet last We'd
nesday, officials said, to meet
the sitaution resulting from refusal
of the operators or miners, or both, to
agree to the governments wage in
crease proposal.
Cabinet officers expected many mine
owners to put into effect voluntarily
the IA percent wage increase Wheth-
er the mines of those refusing to do
SO would be seized, was not made
clear, but 1t was said that there was
no general plan for government con-
troll; that each individual case would
be decided on it's merits.
Garfield Don't Comment.
Fuel Administrator Garfield, whose
proposal approved by the cabinet, for
a IA per cent wage increase, was re-
jected by the miners with bitter COM
ment and accepted by the operators,
although they protested it would put
some of the mines out of business be-
cause there was no provision to in
crease the price of coal corresponding
ingly, still withheld comment early
today.
Some Of those in touch with the
situation expressed the opinion that
the cabinet in considering the Gar
field proposals had decided on a
course of action in event of rejection
of the IA per cent compromise and
that an immediate announcement OF
their proposed action would be made.
In some quarters a rift in the clouds
OF uncertainty was seen in the state
ment by several Of the operators that
an organized body they had ceased to
function and that individual necessity
and inclination would govern their
Rctions. This was taken as an indica-
tion that some of the operators would
attempt to resume coal production re-
gardless Of the strike or action by
with their own employees.
They were said to be hopeful that
when statistics of the 1919 operations
:. of the mines are in the hands of the
government and which they declared
would show profits below those of for
mer years, they would be permitted to
make such adjustments in selling
prices as would permit a fair and rea-
sonable profit.
In the meantime reports from all
sections showed the country on the
verge Of a fuel famine with stocks so
low in some communities that great
suffering was feared unless coal pro-
duction is quickly put back to normal
For two weeks during which the wage
conference was in session here the
public had assumed the dispute would
lie settled and the army of strikers
resume work and failure of the nego-
tiations has turned what was little
more than Indifference into keen
anxiety.
CHICAGO, Nov. 2S-Cold weather,
with snow and sleet storms today had
spread over the middle west and
southwest and rendered moro criti-
cal the fuel situation brought about
by the strike of bituminous coal min
ers who have been idle four weeks
In many small cities and towns the
coal shortage was acute and actual
suffering in prospect in some. Mod
Grafton of the cold wave by tomorrow,
however, was forecast.
In the large producing coal fields
of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio. Pennsyl-
vania and West Virginia the miners
apparently We're firm in their dcterm-
nation not to return to work until
some wage adjustment was agreed
upon. In fact, some district officials
of the United Mine Workers in West
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