Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-29
COAL WAGE AWARD
MAY Be RE0PENED
FOR ADJUSTMENTS
Labor Department Secretary
Sends Report to President.
Miners Obdurate.

ticular emphasis upon conditions in
Illinois and Indiana. was sent today to
President Wilson
While the secretary refused to dis
cuss the nature of the report it was
intimated at the Department of La
Dor that among the recommendations
was one that the award Of the btu
mlnous coal commission be reopened
on the ground that an equitable ad
Justment of pay of day laborers in
the mines had never been made.
ST. LOUIS, July 29.-Thomas T.
Brewster. chairman of the coal op-
orators scale committee, today called
meeting of operators in the central
competitive field to consider the coal
strike. The meeting will be held to-
morrow morning in Chicago.
The operators, Mr.. Brewster ex-
planned. will consider the advisability
of comforting with officials Of the
United Mine Workers of America on
the strike situation, as suggested by
John L. Lewis, president of the min
erS' union.
Replies received from operators in
the central field to Mr.. Lewis request
Tor the joint conference have not been
sufhc1ent to indicate whether the ma
Jority OF the mine owners favor such
a meeting, Mr.. Brewster added.
Chicago supply Low.
By the Associated Press
CHICAGO, July 29.-Coal in dealers
yards in Chicago today is a sixth to
a seventh of the normal supply, an
official of the largest local company
said today.
He declared that if nothing is done
n M h.
receipts, Chicago would be going on
a vacation" next week.
The normal supply in Chicago at
this time of the year is around 900, 900
TO 100000 tons" this coal official said.
Ihese hgures relate to coal in deal
ers' yards. All the coal on hand in
the yards of Chicago today is not over
100000 tons
Due to the coal shortage, employees
in the steel mills in Hammond, Gary
and South Chicago were put on a
part-time working basis and some of
the men were laid off entirely.
CITY Engineer Combs stated there
was only fifteen days supply of coal
in the bins of the pumping stations
He said that he would refuse water
to large manufacturers when the sup
ply for twelve days was reached.
upon the summons of T. T. Brewster,
chairman of the scale committee, this
morning, for conference.
Appalling conditions threaten the
country Unless something is done to
reopen the mines, .Goy.,es.Esrankyz o.
Lowden declared in a statement last
night. Everything possible has been
done here to correct the situation, he
said. The Washington authorities, the
control and sit is to be hoped that
they will act with that promptness
which the gravity Of the situation de-
After a conference lasting until
late last night the operators declined
to make a statement, but intimated
they were willing to meet represent
ativeS of the men in the central COM
petitive field, providing federal rep
is present.
The executive committee of the In
diana coal operators convened here to-
day to consider the miners strike in In
diana. Philip Penna of Terre Haute.
chairman of the committee declared re-
ports that the operators would meet the
miners were Inaccurate.
''The coal situation in Indiana is bet
ter and | feel that today there will be
even a larger number of miners at work
than there was yesterday. Mr.. Penna
said before the committee went into Ses-
sion.
Indiana Situation Grave.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind. July 29.-Ap-
20 per cent. of the coal
mines in Indiana are idle as the re-
suit of the strike, according to state
officials of the United Mine Workers.
Hope that miners in the Terre Haute
ield would return to work was aban
1oned when members of the local
unions met and adjourned without
taking any action to endtfe strike.
National officials of the United
Mine Workers still await some reply
pra chai
IF the operators scale committee. to
President John l. Lewis of the miners
for a joint meeting of miners and
operators to consider the situation.
Operators here received report
hat Mr.. Brewster had called a meet
ng of the operators scale committee
20 be held in Chicago at 10 am. to-
lay, but they would not discuss the
source of the report.
A shortage of coal among indus
ries in Indiana is becoming notice.
able. according to manufacturers.
Henry L. Dithmer of Indianapolis. a
member of the executive committee of
he Indiana Ice bearers Association.
sent kilograms to President Wilson
and Attorney General Palmer inform
ng them that ice plants in the state
are in desperate need of coal to con-
.inue operations.
The situation in the various centers
as follows:
Brazil-Thirteen of fifteen mines
owned by the Pennsylvania railroad idle,
one mine in the Block field closed.
Sullivan--A few more mines closed,
only eight of thirty large mines now
being in operation.
Bicknell-Fourteen mines idle.
Einton-Thirty mines idle.
Illinois Miners Determined.
n T,Ylx
cision of shift men and coal diggers
of the Springfield district to repu-
diate their district president and re-
main on strike until their demand for
a 81 a day increase is granted and
, strike of 400 mine workers in the
Peoria district are the latest develop
ments in the Illinois coal strike situa-
ton.
The shift men and coal diggers left
\ ioint mass meeting before which
Freeman Thompson. president of the
district, had urged a re-
TURN to work and had charged the
state president. Frank Farrington
With instigating the present strike
, nd then voted unanimously to remain
OH strike.
The Department of Labor concilia-
tors gave as their opinion that the
will not reopen the wage
until the men return to
work and said they are now seeking
TO bring this about.
All but two mines in the Peoria dis
trict were reported idle.
Lewis Gets Turndown.
IrTSRURGH, July 29.-The request
of John l. Lewis, international presi-
dent Of the United Mine Workers, that
a Joint conference be held by repre-
of the men and operators
of the central competitive field to con-
slider the mining situation was re-
fused by the Pittsburgh Coal Pro-
ducers' Association. The operators, in
a telegram to Mr.. Lewis, said they
regarded the request as an invitation
TO reopen the recently concluded wage