Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-13
Is Per Cent Of Miners
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president as yet had acted. The
work of the fuel administration, it
was said, probably would be trans
ferred to the railroad administration.
DR.. Garfield refused to discuss the
matter.
Criticize Settlement.
Operators representing the central
Pennsylvania district, one of the
largest in the United States, were
the first to act today upon the set
tiement proposal, and while accept
ing it, criticized it's terms with the
utmost vigor.
THE method proposed by DR.. Gar
field for settlement of the strike was
interfercd with by government Of
fcials who knew little of the situa-
tion," the operators statement said.
"The problem was taken out of his
hands. The public and the oper-
'ators, as result, have been deliv-
cred into the hands of the United
Mine Workers"
Raise Coal Cost.
F. E. Hardness, counsel for the
fuel administration, announced dur
ing the day that prices of fuel con-
tracted for by purchasers prior to
the resumption of government price
fixing could be legally raised to alb
sorb the cost of the IA per cent in
crease in miners wages granted I'M
der the settlement.
Coal mined on contract, it was
said, in most cases bore a price
below the government maximum of
$2.35 per ton mine-run, and contracts
ordinarily carried a clause binding
the purchasers to pay additions in
labor costs incurred after their MAX
ing. Fuel administration statistics,
it was said, indicated that even after
the addition of extra labor costs
created by the IA per cent increase
the largest portion of the contract
coal still would be sold below the
$2.35 maximum.
The government itself, through
the railroad administration, which
consumes normally 81 per cent of the
coal mined. will pay the largest
amounts under the ruling, it was
pointed out. The War department
contracts were said to give power to
the secretary of war to make adjust
ments and as the settlement had the
support of the administration, it was
assumed that Secretary Baker would
approve the increase.
Consumers to Pay.
Much of the navy departments
coal is being Communicated and
some of the supply is mined in the
Pocahontas field which is norunion.
Private and industrial consumers,
supplied by contract coal, will in
most cases pay the increase. A small
amount of high-class coal, under the
ruling it was explained, will be sold
for higher price than the govern
ment maximum.
Director General Hines state
ment on notifications of the con-
servation orders, said:
THE conservation order of De-
cember 8. 1919, restricting the use
of heat, light and power generated
or produced from bituminous coal or
coke, was issued to make uniform in
all parts of the country the restric-
tons which had already been adopt
ed in many parts of the country, and
to save coal and coke. Until the
production of bituminous coal be-
comes normal, it is virtually neces-
sary that it be conserved in every
way possible and even after produc-
ton reaches normal, it will be neces-
sary to continue to conserve coal be-
cause of the loss in production of
between thirty and thirty-fve mil
lion tons during the trike. tt is
therefore, that the public
exercise the greatest caution in the
consumption of coal.
Increase in East.
1T being the desire to remove
restrictions just as rapidly as pos
sible, the conservation order of De
cember 8 has been modified today to
permit the resumption as conditions
warrant Of the supplying of light,
heat and power restricted by this or
der. Coal is now being moved and
will continue to be moved from the
cast to the west in large quantities
as the relative situation in the two
sections permits.
"The first increase In production
that has resulted from the termina-
ton of the strike of the miners has
been in the east, where already the
bulk of the production was being OBJ
tanned. Conditions in the several
regions differ and accordingly the
order of the director will be modi-
fed on recommendation of the re-
gional directors as their respective
situations may permit.
Regional directors have been in
structed today to restore all train
service removed or curtailed because
of the strike situation as soon as the
general coal supply, in their respec-
tive regions, justihes in their judg-
ment doing so, subject to such ex-
ceptions as may be ordered by the
railroad administration in Washing
ton"
$40