Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-26

A dennlte proposal designed 10 en-"
the coal strike was agreed upon by
the cabinet today. and Will be laid be
fore representatives of the mine oper-
ators and coal miners 1T DR. Harry y.
Garfield. fuel administrator. at ,
o'clock this afternoon.
The cabinet was in session for tYQ
hours today. DR.. Garfield and Railroad
Administrator Hines being present.
When the session broke up shortly
after l o'clock no one would say what
the terms of the proposed compromise
were, or whether any modification OF
them proposed by operators or miners
would be accepted
DR.. Garfield on leaving the cabinet
room. however. announced that the
officials had agreed on the terms.
go to IS Per Cent Increase.
withheld. it was reported that the
fuel administration had won his point
for an increase of from 90 to p per
cent in miners wages. as against the
81 per cent proposed by secretary
Wilson and agreed to by the miners,
Dr. Garfield'S statement to the
miners and operators was expected
to be somewhat in the nature of an
ultimatum. The 20 to % per cent IN
crease was understood to be accept
able to the operators, but grave DOUBT
was expressed as to whether the
miners would approve it.
After the cabinet meeting there
was a somewhat general impression
that the operators would be called
upon to bear practically all of the
proposed wage increase, but oflclals
withheld comment.
Present Situation Serious.
Meantime, so many miners over the
country had remained on strike that
the coal situation had reached what
xso.o N n "a
crisis" Steps to meet the situation
until something like normal produc-
ton had been restored were under
consideration by the fuel administra-
TONS central coal committee, with an
order prohibiting the manufacture of
coke designed as the first move in the
nationwide campaign
Controversy in Cabinet.
The controversy in the cabinet CEN
tered around the proposals of Fuel
Administrator Garfield that in COM
putting wage increases the advances
made to all miners in the central com =
rfeeftfve field be taken into consider
alton. and of Secretary Wilson that
the increase to pick miners be the
basis.
Mr.. Wilson's proposal was sup
ported today by John L. Lewis, acting
president Of the United Mine Work
ers, who said the calculation of wage
advances since 1913 should be based
on rates throughout the country and
not merely in the central competitive
field.
Takes Issue With Operators.
Pick mining has been taken as a
basis of every wage contract, includ-
ing the 1917 Washington agreement,
Mr. Lewis said. Taking issue with the
operators statement that only 20 per
cent of the miners in the central ter
ritory use the pick, Mr.. Lewis said
the number Of men in the four states.
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Hi
nois, on the pick and machine work
were practically equal.
tinued, about As per cent of the total
tonnage produced is dug out with
pick, but as high as 60 per cent of
the total numbers of employees are on
pick work. This disparity was due, he
said. to the high productivity Of ma
chine methods.
Says 81 Per Cent Are Laborers.
Statistics compiled by state labor de-
partments Lewis said, show that only
q per cent of the employees in the
central field are day laborers instead
of 40 per cent as claimed by the OPP
orators.
Replying to the position of the OPP
orators that the s1.40 per day increase
in wages awarded day laborerS in 1917,
should be given equal weight with
other wage advances in computing the
average wage increase, Mr.. Lewis said
this award was made to put the day
workers on a parity with men on a
tonnage basis, and should not be- in
cluded in anv average.