The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-11-27


X ~ tnsny ID she weAksr missss md
~ tt meant ruin ard the 8Acri1ce
5sS5 n years az earnings and savings.
The operators for the most part
lore their disappointment y, silence
al hut from the miners came denuncia
Hon after denunciation of the gov.
n xrnment's solution. without rcserva-
n Aon and without mincing words the
IL miners questioned Or. Garfield ana
d through him griiled the government
81 Tor more than two hours.
FACES BROADSIDE,
s DIR, Garfield stood adarnant in lace
pf the questions and the criticisms
hurled at him from the miners side
of the hall He answered all ques-
! items without betraying personal ex-
II citeuent and firmly but kindly told
Il the miners that what he had laid be-
fore them was purely a series OF facts
Dr. Garfield said his statement was
made on the facts and the figures In
the case as he had investigated 1t
I He said that IL was is IL one looked
M at the clock and there read the
time
The clock tells you the hour,
and that IL what I have done
tell you that percent ot increase
which should be applied TO the
miners wages, on the average 10
euualixe wages with the rise in
the cost Of living. ~ 1 per cent,
said DR. Garfield,
Dr.. Garfield was equally insistent
"a his fiadinr that the price OF coal
Sheuid not ne raised st this time.
This WIS che shot fired from the
other barrel or his double earreltsd
Ftatemcnt 20 the joint conference. he
made it clear that The facts. as ne
found thera mean; that II the min
e-s' wages were increased ! 4 per cent
rs he said should be done, that the
burden # this should De borne en-
tfrs1y hy ths operators and not hy
the pahhc
pr. Garfield also made third
statement whlch almost ranks in
Importance with hlS two main
n~nposftI ions T'7t- was that gov
evu-raut coat~c! < prices will Dc
rna3utaired al present This
means That ths government does
not intend N relax its grip or
the coal situation through hold
ma prices within "A maximum
ltfs1it
a. nav ~ provision fer the future
ans ~ a prom Use az future adjust
rasn,s tn dispose no inequalities which
THE conference VIII Do unable 20 rec
st5 Dr Carnc.t proposed that CON
ere~s provide for the eSta biishU'ent
~ a +.coost3 ,ativt' beard 70 10 head
81 hy the secretary II the interior
and % consist Of an equal number
- members chosen by the miners and
the operators The function of this
beard would he 20 secure data and to
report facts tn 81 gwen dispute
After the miners had cross ques-
4+t-t+t--4- Garfield f+st- nearly tive
hours and + half Thomas r Brew
ste~ at The operators who acted Us
chairman said he would entertain a
motion 20 refer mr. Garfeid's state
rneat To the sUb-Sca.e committee.
which consists OF eight miners and
light operators.
GOES TO COMMITTEE
Mr. Brewster said that ne expected
the matter would he settled by facts
or In failure Of this. by events Time
for further negotiations was gained
when an operator made the motion
10 commit the statement to the Cub
scale committee. This was seconded
ny a miner. and carried.
II was after eleven O'Clock when
the sub scale committee went into ex
scutive session Most of the miners
and many OF the operators iarried
outside To await the result OF the de-
alterations Of the suh-scalc committee.
When Dr. Garfield concluded the
reading Of his statement, President
John l. Lewis. Of the miners deciar-
cd that this meant a Reputation of
Secretary az Iahor Wilson's action in
offering the miners a 81 6 per cent in
crease.
MIR Lewis asked MIR Garfield what
the miners were to do when one gov
srnnent official told them one thing
ANA another government official diff
fered
Mr. Garfield replied that he did
not think that the miners under
stood Secretary WILSON'S functions.
These Nr Garfield said were t...se
Of Cancellation and mediation MIR,
Garfield said that his own functions
were to fix coal prices, and to arrive
AT the figures. lie declared that the
sources and bases upon which the
fourteen per cent increases were de-
TRIMMED were az the disposal of the
miners H. insisted that the average
must prevail
Frank harrington % the
miners said that the u per cent
increase would leave the miners
lust where they were before the
war, living n hand 70 mouth OK
r4a 4DkqI mo