Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-12-17
The Presidents Proposal.


poses of the government in its han
ding of the situation.
1.-THE mine owners offered a wage
increase of 20 per cent, conditioned,
however, upon the price of coal being
raised to an amount sufficient to cover
this proposed increase of wages which
would have added at least $l60,OO0,OOO
to the annual coal bill of the people.
''The fuel administrator, in the light
of present information, has taken the
position, and | think with entire JUS
LITIGATION, tLat the public is now pay
ing 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 from the profits of the coal
operators.
Would EquaIize Wages.
"In reaching his conclusion, the fuel
administrators expressed the personal
opinion that the IA per cent increase
in all mine wages is reasonable, be-
cause it would equalize the miners
wages on the average with the cost OF
living. but he made it perfectly clea'
that the operators and miners are q
liberty to agree upon.a larger increase,
provided the operators will pay it out
of their profits so that the price OF
coal would remain the same.
"The, ecretary of labor, in an eff
fort at Cancellation between the par
ties, expressed his personal opinion in
favor of larger increase. His efforts
at concilation failed. however be
cause the coal operators were unwlll-
ing to pay the scale he proposed IN
less the government would advance
the price of coal to the public and this
the government was unwilling to do.
1.-THE fuel administrator had also
suggested that tribunal be created
in which the miners and operators
would be equally represented to con
slider further questions of wages anu
working conditions, as we'll as protts
of operators and proper prices for
coal. | shall, of course. be glad to AID
in the formation of such Il tribunal
81 understand the operators have
generally agreed to absorb an IN
crease of II per cent in wages, so that
the public would not pay to exceed the
present price fixed by the fuel ad-
ministrator, and thus way is opened
to secure the coal of which the people
stand in need, if the miners will re-
sumo work on these terms pending a
thorough investigation by an impartial
commission which may readjust both
wages and prices.
by the acceptance of such plan
the miners are assured immediate
steady employment at a substantial
increase in wages and are further as
sured prompt investigation and action
upon questit MS which are not now set
tied to their satisfaction.
81 must believe that with clear
understanding of these points they
will promptly return to work. If, new
ertheless, they persist in remaining on
strike they will put themselves in an
attitude of striking in order to force
the government to increase the price
of coal to the public, so as to give a
still further increase in wages at this
time rather than allow the question of
further increase in wages to be
dealt with i'll an orderly manner by a
fairly constituted tribunal represent
ing all parties interested.
Must Resume Work.
mo group of our people can Justify
such position, and the miners 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 I shall be glad to
aid in the prompt formation of such
a tribunal as I have indicated TO make
further inquiries into this whole mat
ter and to review not only the reason
ableness of the wages at which the
miners start to work, but also the rea-
sonableness of the government prices
for coal.
"Such a tribunal should within six
ty days make its report, which could
be used as basis for negotiation for
wage agreement. / must make it
clear, however, that the government
cannot give its aid to any such fur
Their investigation until there is a gem
eral resumption of work.
ST ask every individual miner to
give his personal thought to what
say. / hope he understands fully that
he will be hurting his own interest
and the interest of his family and will
be throwing countless other laboring
men out of employment if he shall
continue the present strike, and fur
ther, that he will create an unneces-
sary and unfortunate prejudice
against organized labor which will be
injurious to the best interests of work.
ingnen evarvvhere