New-York tribune., 1919-11-15

ty-hour week and go per cent in
crease in wages, among other things.
1t Is only fair to say to you now at
the beginning of this conference that
u thirty hour week in the present in
dustrial condition of the country and
the world is impossible. l realize the
fact that the miners haves seldom an
opportunity Of working on an average
Of thirty hours q week throughout the
year. In the present year they have
worked less than thirty hours a week
between twenty mine and thirty hours. y
Thirty-Honr Idea Deceptive
Mr.. Wilson explained that maxi
mum of thirty hours week would
mean very much less" than thirty
hours week, because of conditions
incident to the mining business, in
Guiding breukdowns and accidents, the
fact that in many coal fields demands
for the product are seasonal, and
last, because of the present arrange
ment by which mines get their coal
cars, something which, he said, could
not be remcdied,, despite the best ef-
forts Of the railroads. He said the
basis of daily output, and under six
hour day more men would be put on
70 keep the daily output up, more men
than really are needed to fiji contracts.
In addition TO tnat," he continued,
mo one knows what the production
would be in the mines by the intro
duction of the six-hour day, and in
this time, when we have not yet re-
covered from the effects of the war,
we cannot afford to undertake the ex-
pertinent of determining just what
the loss in efficiency would be, and
so say TO you that the thirty-hour
week is an impossibility, and in the
interest of speedy getting together
it ought to be eliminated
Sixty Per Cent Called Excessive
TIE SO per cent wage increase is
m imposs biity A so per cent wage
ircrease would put the miner out Of
line with the other workers of the
country. The miners have rad to face
an increase in the cost Of living. They
have faced it manfully during the war,
but the miners are not the only ones
who have faced it, and coal is good
item in the cost Of living, and if the
increased cost of coal is out of pro-
portion to the increased cost Of llv-
ing you make the balance of the peo-
pie, wage workers as we'll as others.
pay an extra amount in their cost Of
living to the advantage of the miners.
But | want TO say that the stand
pat position taken by the operators
is also an impossibilty. Recognizing
that the wax is still in existence and
'ealizing that during the continuance
the way the legal contract made
with the miners is still in existence,
| stu assert the standpat position OF
.!e operators is IN impossibility
-
reports on the cost Of living showed am
Increase Of between 73 and 10 per cent
and tic wages Of miners in the same
Der Cd had increased between from g..
to SO Per cent, with exceptions in some
classes Of day labor at the mines
where the increases in wages had been
fl, m 76 to rs per cent
He sad the government had fixed a
maximum price on coal, bat has no de-
sire to return permanently to such
maximum price if that does an injus-
ace to the miners or any one else.
But" he said, "the government will
not consent to q price on coal that
would do an injustice to the consuming
public"
TIE Secretary then proposed that a
committee of operators and miners pet
together at once to determine basic
wage rates in the respective districts
''Standpat" Attitude Denied
?. II. Penna, of Terre Haute. Ind,
one of the central competitive fields,
was the only operator who spoke.
The coal operators have not at anv
stage assumed a standpat position :"
he said END do not know just what
you mean, Mr.. Secretary, by that allu-
sion.
Mr.. Penna said the conference in
Buff 10 and in Philadelphia were
marked by a desire on the part of the
operators to get together but it was
impossible to grant some Of the mems
demands. There was an impossible
barrier as we saw it," said Mr.. Penna,
but we continued until both sides
allied that further continuance in
JOINT conference was of no value and
we adjourned by mutual consent and
with mutual sponsibility.
1--WE have been bclligerent, but we
have not been red handed yet. The
situation compels us to get together.
and we are awake to that compulsion
and believe that we can arrive at a
solution.
"Speaking for the operators of the
central competitive fields we are not
ready at this time to give you an an
swer, Mr. Secretary, to accept or re-
Ject your proposal"
Mr.. Penna spoke of the difficulties
that have existed for years and the
differences between different fields and
81 gg .stcd the conference adjourn until
10 o'clock tomorrow to allow both
the operators and miners to consult
among themselves
Lewis Agrees to Adjournment
MIR. Lewis, who was the ONLY speaker
for the miners, agreed to such an ao-
journment after he had asked several
questions designed to develop whether
the Sscretary's proposal might bring
8 settlement that would affect the nom