Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-11-21
NATION s COAL BIN
BEING DEP[ETEDBY
LESSENED OUTPUT:
Miners and Operators Con-
!. ference Shows No Results,
Z Nation Must and Will Have
Coal, Says Garfield


agreement here today as the nation
began to feel the fuel shortage.
AS members of the wage scale
committees prepared to go into exec
utive session on this. the sixth day
OF their conference, reports reached
government sources of the closing
of plants in the middle west for lack
of fuel.
In the south domestic consumers
are on a basis of one ton per house
hold, dictated by the regional ra-
tioning committee of the railroad ad-
miuistration.
Despite optimistic views of Of
ficials of the labor department that
! the strike would be settled within
a few days. few of the 100000 miners
who struck November l have gone
i back to work.
Operators in conference here are
delaying negotiations on the question
4 of a wage scale. it was learned today.
and are insisting that President John
L, Lewis. of the United, Mine Work
ers. make a new attempt to get the
men back to the mines.
The operators deny they have pre-
scented an ultimatum to the miners
refusing to consider wage scales un-
til the men return to work. But
they ADMIT CndI Ine SuSSoSlloH mas
been made to the miners chiefs that
they may hasten agreement by get
ting the men back to work.
Meanwhile the nations supply OF
s a coal is running short. When the
strike began November 1, coal deal
srs had a months supply. In adj
dition much coal just mined was IN
transit to dealers. Most of this
i seized by the railroad admin 'stration.
now has been used. The remainder
is stored in cars pn railroad sidings.
Miners ~ the strike prepared
to hold out at least thirty days. De-
a cenlber thus should bring both
sides near the breaking point. But
4 before that the public will begin TO
make itself felt in the situation. gov
eminent officials believe. Letters
and kilograms are flooding almost
every government office in Wash
ington. cong essmen and senators
are being bombarded.
The possibility of federal control
of the mines in case of popular ais
approval of higher prices of coal
was said to be receiving the close
attention of the operators.
That the mine operators would or
fer some increases was taken as a
foregone conclusion.
Meanwhile the bottom Of the ma
lions coal bin is beci ~ni7g 10 s.
bare. Coal being mined by non
union workers opportunities only
81 1000 600. tons a week, or about one
third of the normal weekly tonnage.
government reports show. The ma
lions reserve stocks are beginning
ta near the end as each week sees
between 100000 and 100000 tons
Industrial managers are flooding
the railroads with demands for coal
Scores Of factories are near shut
down for lack of fuel, managers
complain daily.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.-Speak-
ing with the authority Of President
Wilson's cabinet, Fuel Administrator
Garfield told representatives of the
bituminous coal operators and miners
here today that the people of the
81 United States need, must have, and
will have coal, and as long as the
government stands they will not be
prevented from getting It by any
thing the operators or miners may
do"
DR.. Garfield explained that his
purpose was to furnish the confer
ence the data which he would use in
determining what wage advances. II
any, agreed to by the operators and
miners could be borne properly by
the public.
DR.. Garfield said:
I represen+ the people OF the
United States in a different sense
from the secretary Of labor. 1t
is part of Mr.. wilson's function
to effect Cancellation. It. is my
sole function to exercise those
powers conferred on the fuel ad-
81 fninistrator: to see that an ade-
III uuate supply of coal is furnished
the people Of the United States,
and to see that in times Of stress
such as we still are unhappily in
the midst of, the prices asked
and received for coal are not eX-
cessive.
We all realize now that in the
great coal industry the public is
an important partner. At one
time the operators and mine
workers, like farmers, considered
themselves peculiarly indepen-
dent But the public has para
mount interest
The people of the United
States will not consent to pay an
excessive price for coal. We are
all agreed to that, but the ques-
ton now is. what is an excess
sive price?' Nor will the public
agree to go without this commod-
ity.
The people of the United
States need, must have. and will
have coal. and they will not be
prevented by anything the opera
tors and miners may do unless
the government is dissolved into
a chaotic condition.
The people of the United
States are willing to pay suffi-
cient to maintain American stand
ards, but the question is what
are American standards? The
people want the operators to have
a just return, but what is just
return?
DR.. Garfield said he was not yet
prepared to say what changes could
reasonably be made in the price Of
coal as all the necessary data was
not in hand. One of the items not
yet determined. he said. was that Of
the federal income taxes for 1918.
which the operators have claimed
should be trcluded in the cost of
opera ton. The government has dis