The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-12-09
.r,e ers WHAgree
i To Wilson Plan

night. The proposal was approved by
the miners officials. who receive, IL
while in conference with Atty. Gen
Palmer in Washington. and agreed Z
urge the executive board to accept II
as basis for settlement OF the strike
The mine workers officials returned
to indianapolis yesterday.
A statement issued by Atty. Con
Palmer says:
"The president on Saturday, was
about to issue a statement to tho
country reciting the facts In relation
to the strike situation and making M
appeal the miners to go back t.
work.
"Mr. Lewis and Mr.. Green callet
on me on that day and l showed
them the presidents statement. The,
finally agreed to its terms SO far a,
they were concerned and called {
meeting of their boards for this after
noon to consider-it. at which timt
they agreed to urge its acceptance.
"A memorandum was prepared, 1t,
form agreed to by Mr. Lewis and my.
self. embodying in brief the presi
dents proposal and action which
should be taken by the miners.
"The president statement was Il
be presented to the miners this after.
noon and | am assured the action
indicated ny the memorandum will
be taken"
Presidents Statement.
The presidents statement to the
country, which he had intended tc
make public Saturday, follows:
! have watched with deep con-
Germ the developments in the
bitumincus coal strike and am
convinced there is much confu-
sion in the minds of. the people
generally. and possibly of both
parties to this unfortunate con-
troversy, as to the attitude and
purposes of the government in
its handling the situation.
The mime owners offered
wage increase of 20 per cent.
conditioned, however, upon the
price of coal being raised to an
amount sufficient to cover this
proposed increase in wages.
which would have added at least
$150,000,000 to the annual coal
bill of the. people. The fuel ad-
ministrator In the light Of pres
Sut ttbHs tdhtl lIic
position, and l. think with entire
/ justification, that the public is
now paying as high prices for
coal as it ought to be required to
pay and that any wage increase
made at this time ought to come
out of the profits of the coal op
orators.
In reaching this conclusion, the
fuel administrator expressed the
personal opinion that IA per
cent. increase in all mine wages
is reasonable because it would
eQualiZe the miners wages on the
average with the cost of living,
but he made it perfectly clear
that the operators and miners are
at liberty to agree upon n larger
increase, provided the operators
will pay 1t out of their profits
so that the price of coal would
remain the same.
The secretary of labor, in an
effort at conciliation between the
parties, expressed his personal
opinion in favor of a larger in
crease. His effort at conciliation
failed. however, because the coal
operators were unwilling to pay
the scale he proposed unless the
government would advance the
price of coal to the public and this
the government was unwilling to
do.
The fuel administrator has also
suggested that a tribunal be ere
ated in which the miners and
operators would be equally rep
resented to consider further
questions of wages and working
conditions as well as profits of
operators and proper prices for
coal. shall of course, be glad
to aid in the formation of such
c tribunal.
/ understand the operators
have generally agreed to absorb
an increase of IA per cent. in
wages, so that the public would
pay not to exceed the present
price fixed by the fuel adminis-
traitor, and thus a way is opened
ot secure the coal of which the
people stand in need, if the min
efs will resume work on the
terms pending a thorough inves-
tigation by an impartial commits
sion which may readjust both
wages and prices.
BY the acceptance of such
plan the miners are assured i'm
mediate steady employment at
substantial increase in wages
and they are further assured
prompt investigation and action
upon questions which are not
now settled to their satisfaction.
| must believe that with a clear
understanding of these points
they will promptly return to
work. If, nevertheless, they per-
sist in remaining on strike they
will put themselves in an atti-
tude of striking to force the gov
ernment to increase the price of
coal to the public so as to give
still further increase in wages
at this time rather than allow the
question of further increased
wages to be dealt with in an or
derly manner by a fairly consti-
tuted tribunal representing all
parties interested.
No group of our people can jus
tify such a position and the min
ers owe it to themselves, their
families. their fellow workmen in
other industries and TO their
country to return to work.
Immediately upon a general re-
sumption of mining | shall be
glad to aid in the prompt forma-
tion of such a tribunal as | have
indicated to make further in
quiries into this whole matter
and to review not only the rea-
sonableness of the wages at
which the miners start to work
but also the reasonableness of o
the government prices for coal.
Such a tribunal should within
sixty days ms .Se its report, which
could be used as a basis for ne
gotiations for a wage agreement.
must make 1t clear. however.
that the government cannot give
its aid to any slch further in