Arizona republican., 1920-02-04
OPERATORS
 END ARGUMENTS TO
 STRIKE COMMISSION
First Phase of Final Coal s e t t l ement Agreement Concluded - Western Miners and Operators to Be Heard Next
IRepublican A. p. Leased wirer

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-With con cluding arguments presented before the coal strike settlement commission today by spollesmen for the operators and mine workers in the central com petitive field, the fate of the reiterated demands of the workers for 50 per cent increase in wages and a 0-hour week was submitted to the final de- cISion of the commission.
 Each side, however. was granted permission to present, within five days, written brief discussing the oppos- ing evidence.
 In the closing statements for the United Mine Workers. Acting Presi- dent Lewis declared the reasonable ness of the miners demands not only have not been shaken by the operators evidence, but have been overwhelm- ingly supported by it
 Summing up the position of the op- orators. Ralph Crews, attorney. told the committee that from all the evi- dence submitted, it was apparent that what the miners needed to improve their condition was not increased wage scale, but greater disposition to work when the opportunity to work is given them.
 Throughout their presentation of evidence the union representatives Mir. Crews declared have studiousIy sought to deal in averages. They have reffained, he said, from presenting single case to show the potential earn ingS open to the industrious man. Sta tisticS of the federal bureau of labor, he added, showed that in October bitu- minous miners throughout the country worked on an average of only S5 per cent of the operating time of the mines, and that this was the ''funda- mentally significant thing for the com mission to consider.
 Miners could increase their earnings by p per cent, he said. if they worked whenever they might
 Lewis Challenges Figures
 Mir. Lewis challenged the accuracy and the truly representative charac- ter of the operators figures on miners earnings. though declaring at the same time that, even accepted as 'dependa ble," they were so pitiably low as to carry their own condemna- ton. Operators figures showing that in 1919, the average monthly earnings of miners in the northern Illinois field were $S3.64, against a potential earning of $99 were characterized by Ir. Lewis $ pathetic Such a level of pay. he declared. is mot enough to supply animal needs alone without re . gard to comforts
 A final plea on behalf of the opera tors that the commission provide means to compel individual miners and
 
 contracts with operators with the same obligation resting upon the operator, was voiced by Philip Penna, secretary of the Indiana Coal Operators associa- tion.
 William Green. secretary of the union, in a final argument in support of the miners demand for a 3O- hour week declared the granting Of such d demand not only was ''an economic possibility, but that it probably would cause an actual increase in production over the present eight-hour day. It would guarantee to the miner he esti- mated, 266 days of work in the year whereas for the last seven years he has averaged only 200 days
 The commission tomorrow will hear representatives of .bituminous opera tors and the union miners in the Iowa. Texas and Oklahoma fields. who have agreed to accept the application in those districts of the commissions terms for the central field