The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-31
WILSON APPROVES
 MAJORITY REPORT
 COAL COMMISSION
President Hotly Replies to Miners Threat to Stop Work Unless Minority
 Report Accepted
By Associated rrsss .

| proved the majority report of the anthracite coal commission, awarding anthracite miners wage increases aggregating S85, 100000 and notified the miners that he expected them ito accept the award and car ry it into effect in good faith"
 Replying to threats from the miners thar they wourdd stop
 work september 1 unless the min- ority report of the commission, recommending higher award than provided in the majority rel wer, were accepted, the President stated definitely that the majority award would not be set aside.
 The majority report of the commits sion, signed by W. o. Thompson, presi- dent of Ohio State University, repre- sentative of the public and chairman, and by w. L. Cornell of Scranton, Pa, representing the operators, granted I above the present wage scale The 20 per cent wage increase was awarded contract miners and the advance of IT per cent was recommended for com pany miners, monthly men, miners la borers and consideration miners.
 Neal J. Ferry of McAdoo. Pa. repre- senting the miners. whose minority re- port the workers in district meetings have indorsed recommended mini mum wage of sS a day for adult day lsborers and an increase of S1 per cent for contract workers.
 In refusing the request of the miners for acceptance of the minority report, as made in telegram sent through their local representatives, the presi- dent called attention to a resolution adopted by the miners Tn convention agreeing to accept the findings of such comFnissfon as he appointed.
 SHOULD KEEP PLEDGE
 By all the laws of honor upon which %anzation rests,' the president in. his sgs should Be rppins3s pa.sa ad sa ssy rflhtf1 Hhtff1 nation that the anthracite mine wo.k- CTS will refuse to work under the award because it does not grant them all that expected, lS sincerity of the men who constitute the back bone of the community in which they live"
 The president further told the miners that if their communication was intended as threat, they N. could rest assured that the chal- Ienge would be accepted. and that the people of the country would find some substitute fuel to tide
  ment of the anthracite mine work CTS can find expression. and they are ready to abide by the Obliga- tions they have entered into.'
 Immediately upon announcement from the White House at noon that the President had approved the ma jorfty report. Secretary of Labor Will son. at the direction of the President, issued a call for meeting Thursday at Scranton of the joint anthracite scale committees of operators and the United Mine Workers of America for the purpose of writing the terms of the award into a contract to be effective until March S1, 1922.
 The wage increases recommended by the majority will amount to an annual increase in pay for the miners of sS5 900, 900 and in the payment of $1S,0O0,- GOO in back pay, accumulated since last April 1.
 Interest of-the general aublic in the award centered largely ir the effect of the increases in wages on the price of hard coal. Taking cognizance of this, the commission said that while making substantial improvement in the situation of the miners. it had tried to be conservative and had declined to commit itself to decision that might ;. justly be considered an encoura cement 10 the so-called vicious upward spiral" in prices. The result, the com mission said. was that the awards, while providing improved conditions for the workers. could offer no justi- prices of coal.
 "The award has not passed great burden along to the consumers of coal" the report asserted. Any sharp advance in the retail price of coal could not be charged to the operators, the miners or the award"
 Important awards made by the ma jority in addition to the increase in
 OTHER AWARDS
 Recognition of the United Mine Workers of America as party to the contract.
 Modification of the Individual con tract'' system whereby each individual miner is assured of protection and re- lief when necessary.
 Increased power for the anthracite board of conciliation. half of the mem r bers of which are miners. charged with adjusting disputes between miners and operators.
 Protection for contract miners en- countering abnormal conditions, assur- ing them reasonable pay.
 Payments for tools lost through &C., cidents not chargeable to the miner.
 Investigation of the practicabil;ty of establishing uniform wage scale at all collieries by the board of concilia- tion.
 The majority members denied the de- mands of the miners for establishment of the closes shop and the chech-off system.
 MT. Tsrry's minority report declared that the fundamental principles for which the miners contended had been denied the workers by the majority report While asserting that the work CTS would accept the awards in fuC x faith, the minority members declared that the miners would continue their eficrts to win these fundsmental prin- < cipls.
 The ~uinerity report also discussed at length Ne principles of a living wage recognitis, ofAthe union, the majority awards aneSthe attitude of the opera tors.
 a sntnracse commission was ap- pafnssi py the Avesident June 3. with 1nzff tons 10 rel7rt within 60 days if