Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-12-18
GOVT CANCELS ALL
FUEL RESTRICTIONS
Some Interesting Facts Come
Out in Senate's Coal In
vestigatiOn

| Washington. d. c., December 10
The Senate coal investigating com.
mittee, resuming to day it's inquiry in
to the administration strike settle
ment was told by Tracy W. Guthrie.
president Of the Hillman coal and coke
company, that one clause in the pro.
position advanced by President Wilson
and accepted by the miners would bring
about an increase in the miners wages
at least doubling the IA per cent which
DR.. Harry A. Garfield resigned fuel
administrator. Thought justified"
| While the Senate committee was puY-
suing its inquiry. the Railroad adj
min istration withdrew the last sem
blances of the restrictions on fuel re-
sulting from the strike and began de-
livering coal to original consignses in
stead Of distributing IL to points OF
! greatest need 1t rescinded the embar-
go on the movement OF fuel oil out
of the west. and the orders reducing
the amount Of coal permitted to go to
coking ovens.
At the White House to-day IL was
said that President Wilson would not
appoint the commission provided in
the strike settlement proposal until At
torney General Palmer returns from
the west late this week.
The senatorial inquiry was re-opened
with the calling of r. v. Norris. en-
gineer for the fuel administration, who
was conducted by Senator Frelinghuysen.
republican. New Jersey, chairman of the
committee, and Senator Townsend, re-
publican Michigan, through a maze OF
statistics bearing on labor costs and prices
of necessities.
Secretary of Labor Wilson proposed
that the miners be given an increase OF
31.67 per cent" Mr.. Norris explained. be-
cause he based his calculations on the
pay given pick miners. In 1917 when tho
coal mine wages were readjusted, the
pick miners were getting the greatest
amount, and the scales were balanced up
by giving them lesser increase than
other classes OF labor around the mines
This was necessary in order to induce
men to do the other work
"Dr. Garfield decided that a particular
wage group ought not to serve now as
basis for calculation. and took the aver
age wage of all workers. After arriving
at that he found that an addition Of IA
per cent to their earnings would COM
pensate them for the cost OF living since
the last adjustments were made
Chairman Frelinghuysen asked if the
witness approved Of the creation of a
commission composed of one miner, one
mine operator. and one representative
Of the public with power to fix WAGES and
prices.
THAT would depend on the make-up
of the individuals" Norris returned. "but
} I think at least a LARGER number ought
} TO be named, II gives two interests a
} chance to combine AGAINST the third'
No Guthrie was called to present nc.
tual facts from payrolls upon wages.
about twenty per cent OF miners ara
idle all the time. according to our az.
perience with q mines,' he told the COM
mittee. That is we have to have lao
names on the pay roll in order to get one
. hundred mon on the Job AZ a constant
factor. Miners like to celebrate all Ameri.
can holidays and a lot Of foreign ones.
Then they have Mitchell day on April 1,
in honor Of the late John Mitchell They
have rabbit day on November 10 when
everybody adojurns to shoot rabbit"
From mine accounts, he read tho record
OF one miner who In 1E days Of the
present year earned 5000. or an average
of $3.50 per day. He paid S72 rent for a
company house during the period, and
his fuel bill was S. Other records fur
n!shed showed earnings during the first
nine months Of 1919 ranging from 81 4M
TO 81. 100 for pick and machine miners.
senator Wolcott, democrat. Of Delaware
drew out Mr. Guthres view of the claim
ed double increase in miners wages in
volved in the settlement by observing
that DR.. Garfed's proposal was the
same as that put forth by the President.
LAS / read the memorandum given out
by Attorney General Palmer" Mr.. Guth-
re TcpueQ, 1t is proposed 10 set I'd q