The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-03-24
TELLS MINERS
AND OWNERS
TO NEGOTIATE
WILSON ABANDONS
CONTROL OF COAL
Sounds Warning Against Any
Attempt at Fuel Profit
eerlng aH,

! WASlttNGTON. March "3.-Withta
warning against rrcfiteer!ns. Prcstdent
Wilson to-day ordered abandonment OF
! government control over bitumlnops
coal prices and asked miners and opes'
ators to negotiate a rev working agree
ment ON the basis Of The majority re-
mort OF the coal strike settlement COM
i mission.
The President ordered termination OF
price control on April !. when the new
r.orkinS agreement becomes crteciiNc.
This viii permit at least partial Gb-
: ,Orption in coal prices Of the increase IN
miners wages. established at "a percent
Lv the commissions majority report.
The increase In wages. tine commission
estimated. vii! entail an added annual
, cost Of 100000. 900. and includes the
"A per cent increase awarded tho miners
in settling the recent strike. -
No Profitsering. s
The Operators. however. were remind
cd by the President that unreasonable
prices must not result from the :cfin-t
Ouish,nent Of price control and the ad-'
dition of increased wages TO their ex-
penScs.
| The date Of the joint conference OF
opcrators and miners to formulate .
new wage agreement had not been set
tonight.
John l.. Lewis. president Of tho United
Mine Workers of America. while await
ing conference with officers Of his J
union on the matter. said tine miners
were ready and willing to participate In
a meeting with the operators.
The majority and minority reports or
the coal commission also we're m2do
public at the White House and both
were included by tho President in his
letter 70 tho operators and miners. Not {
withstanding the lack OF unanimity. In
the commissions findings. tho President
said it WAS to be assumed that the two
groups would regard the majority
award as binding. The minority report
would be laid before thenf. he said. for
their guidance in reaching an agree
ment. ~
The president In resembling control !
over prices restored tho fuel s'tuatioDs
so far as htuminous coal In concerned,
10 the status existing prior TO Snrrinsi
bcr /, when tho bituminoui mlnHrrs
went on a nationwide strike. Tie e1-
ecutjvc. order. however. does mol efft.s 6
tho tidewatcr exchange. which us r.-
established February % and which COZ.
trolls expor; OF coal. ... .- -
Tor Ea-'- Agreement. sfagts
The DrrSirieai WRIT u - ~ "a! orsi AR.
MN, ,rs that /, "a "- o.. II 'D,thc. ppb.
lic'' thnt the rrsr CI,l, NJ ~ epnciuds
at the earliest date piaclicr Ole 20 TIM {
the uncertainty As To iht .iuci suppl
may be ended and that :iic ,6onGumcrs
may be able 10 make contracts for theft
coal supply.
The president said nc assumed thas /.
neither party would raise any question:
and that he was sure that no Questid0 Z
could properly be raised as TO the binding
character of the award BY The majortt%
Of the commission. notwithstanding n, z
fact that II was not unanimous. ~
The executive order Withdrawing con-
troll of prices removes virtually all Goy-
crnment control of coal and places ths !:
fuel administration in the status. that
j; was before its authority was restored &
when the miners struck last November
/.
The president said there was no pro-
vision Of Law for fixing new coal prices
for peace time purposes and that ua.Fr
less and until some grave emergency Z
shall arise which in my judgment has s
hclation 10 the emergency purposes OF
tho Lever act, | would not feel justt6s1 81
Continued on Page Elevon.)