The New York herald., 1920-01-15
MINERS PRESENT
DATA To PROVE
WAGES ARE LOW
Tell Coal Commission Man
Earning $40 One Day May
Be Idle Several Days.
Herald Bureau.
No. 1,5O2 IL street. ". W.,
WasbtnrfOn. ID. g.. Wcdnesdny,


Miners wages are far below what is
popularly understood, according to Frank
harrington. president of the United Mine
Workers of Illinois, in an argument pre-
sented by him for the miners before Presi-
dent Wilson's coal commission today.
Ellis Searles. editor of the United Mine
Workers journal, said the statement
made by Mr.. Harrington applied to the
miners of other States.
Mr.. harrington admitted the operators
probably would be able to show that in
isolated instances the wages of miners
approXimated from $40 to sl2 day. He in
sisted that this happened only In eXcep-
tional cases, and that the same miner who
earned this sum one day might then be
idle for several days. He insisted the
fair way to estimate a miners wages was
10 take his earnings for the year.
According to President Harrington, the
average earnings for miners in Illinois
for the six year period from 1912 to 1918,
inclusive, were as follows:-1913. s7O4.6s;
1914, s649S2; 1915. s671.7S; 1916. s775.09; 1917,
$994.65; 1915, 81, ,3O9.0S.
mine workers was not met by the mine
operators today. Ralph Crews, attorney
representing the operators, insisted that
the commission did not have time to go
into all the Gelails involved, but would
have to content itself with the settlement
of a wage scale This. he said, once
settled, would settle everything else.
Mr.. Crew presented the answer sof the
n no Of ho
which brought on the recent strike, which
involves all of the issues presented. His
statement of the answer of the operators,
which epitomizes the issues involved, is as
follows
In place of the existing eight hour day,
six day week. you demand a six hour day
from bank to bank, five days per week,
which would result in only twenty-five
hours or less of actual work per week,
and which, with no double shifting of
working places or productive machinery,
as also demanded would be a reduction of
possible productive effort to practically
one-half of the present altogether rea-
sonable standards, with resulting great in
ccrease of costs. Such a demand cannot
be. entertained. National necessity de-
mands the greatest possible production of
essential commodities.
You demand sixty per cent increase
in wage scale, time and onc-half for over
time and double time for legal holidays and
sundays. Acceptance OF these demands,
with the indirect Increases inherent to
other items of your demands. would more
than double the already high cost of pro-
ducing coal. with consequent large direct
and indirect additions to the cost of living
of every citizen and Generalization and
prostrat tion of the industry. Such wage
increases are impossible and their attempt
ed enforcement would react with great
harm equally on the nation and on the
individual miners you represent
You demand that no automatic penalty
clause be written into any agreement
entered into by the United Mine Workers
OF America, The present automatic appli-
cation of penalty cTauses, applying both
10 operators and miners and by the gov
ernment made requirement contingent
10 the government approval of our WASH
ington agreement. is an outgrowth of the
inability of the union officials to prevent
Illegal strikes in violation of their orders
and Of contract obligations. The pro-
vision has been effective and present con-
ditions of unrest and radicalism make
such policing power in the hands of the
responsible officials of the contracting
parties more than ever imperative. Such
penalty clauses contain no terrors for
those who in good faith abide by their
self-made agreements.
You demand n change from the long
established custom of having wage agree
uents expire in the spring when there Is
least danger Of Inconvenience to the pub
lie, to an expiration November /, which is
the time of maximum demands for coal.
You demand other items. none OF which
have apparent constructive merit. but all
OF which tend TO increase cost and de-
crease production. We must also dismiss
these points as undesirable"