The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-28
COVENANTS
END STRIKE
IN ENGLAND.
National Wage Board Fis.
res in Contingent
Agreement.

London, Oct. 2S.-The coal mining
dispute. which has tied up all the
colleries in Great Britain for near.
ly two weeks past. was Professionally
settled this afternoon, when . re.
vised settlement formula was found
which proved acceptable to the GOV.
ernment, the coal mine owners and
the miners executive oficers, II
remains for all the miners to do
eide by ballot whether they will nc.
cept or reject the new terms, and .
vote will be taken Immediately.
The news of the solution Of thu
crisis, for the time being at least
evoked loud cheers in the house Of
commons this afternoon when ST
Robert Horne, the president OF the
board Of trade, announced the sue
cess OF the negotiations.
Increase for Miners.
Under the agreement the miners
will receive an increase in wages
of two shillings per day until Jan
8. After that date wages will Be
adjusted every four weeks by q ma.
tional commission to consist OF rep.
resentatives of miners. mine own
ers and the government. Adjust
ment OF pay will follow the line OF
production. A permanent wage will
be determined by the commissiou
which is to report to the govern
ment by March 81. Terms Of ~
Agreement were reported to the
house of commons by Premier
Lloyd George. who, with Sir Rob-
ert Horne and Andrew Bonar Law,
has been in conference with the
miners and owners most OF the
week.
Miners ofiicials made the first an
nouncement of the settlement. Will
liam Brace, member OF parliament,
and Frank Hodges, secretary OF the
miners federation, said the prop
osition would be submitted to their
men with the recommendation that
it be accepted.
Government Victory.
Announcement of the settlement
followed quickly on what looked
like a serious deadlock over new
demands by the miners. The union
demanded that provision be made
for additional wage increases when
production mounted. The premier
was said to demand that the gov
ernment be given a written agree
ment that no strike should be CALI
ed until a national wage commits
sion had been appointed and BE-
gun to function.
The cabinet considered the situ-
alton at a forenoon session and the
triangular conference was resumed
after noon. The agreement an
nounced by the miners was reached
after only brief discussion. Al
though the settlement was looked
upon as a compromise, with each
! side given something to save its
face, the outcome generally was -e-(
garded as a government victory
| The governments demand for tn
creased production was put through
with the creation Of national
wage board. with the miners
pledged to observe its decisions.
The latter was regarded as an as
surance that coal strikes will be
made more difficult in the future.
Under certain conditions tho fed
Grafton executives had power 10
lorder the men back to work. Tao
terms OF the agreement. however,
apparently we're such as to demand
a ratification vote by the miners
themselves.
Frank Hodges, member OF the
miners executive body, announced: !:
I'VE have got terms from the
government. which the executives
submitting TO ballot OF the men
for their Judgment. The executive
is recommending the adoption as
a temporary measure until a ma.
tional wage board is established.