The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-10-01
DENY PLAN TO NATIONAllzE
 BRITISH MINES

London, Oct. - Robert Smillie,
 head of the Federation of Miners, to-
 day denied that the national coal
 strike, called for next Monday was planned to compel the government to natfonalize the mines. MT. Smile sald l; he wanted to set at rest reports based
 upon popular misconception-
 Another session of representatives of the miners and the colliery owners
 was held at the Board of Trade in an keffort to adjust the wage question. Powerful efforts are being made to favert the strike. The government and public fear that, if the coal strike goes tinto effect, it will spread to the rail- ways and the transport workers. tying up Great Britain industrially.
 Tn connection with the present very serious crisis in the mining in- I dustry I feel certain that there is a livery large body of the public who de- Fsire the full facts" said MT. Smillte "It is not true to say that this fight is for standardization of the coal mines liberalization of the mines will proba- bly be made a political issue when the Epresent government thinks fit to allow z the people of the country to express their opinion on this and many other 1 matters which have arisen since the return of the present party to power.
 '"This movement is not a political | one, as has been suggested, but is the | outcome of a desire on the part of the kminers to endeavor to obtain a wage sufficient to enable them and their families to live in decency and also
 to reduce the price of domestic coal as | one of the means of reducing the cost
 of living. even to small extent. to the coal consumers of the country.
 .Neither is the movement the re- suit of the desire on the part of one man, or a number of men to bring about a strike in the mines in order <@Ft In try. This view hs been stated, but sure1y it is too much to believe that one man or a committee of men have tthe power even if they had the will. tof the Miners Federation of Great Britain, the most democratic trade union in the whole country. If we ttake as possible that one or even a few men have the power to bring tabout such a situation, it is not a crime to suggest that any man or Lme nwho are responsible for carry Hng out the expressed will Of the min bers of the country would be guilty CT ks1fc Ina mean act as to engineer a knatnona1 strike of coal mines for the Epurpose of dislocating the industries Iof the country,
 This is not movement mt ena en- fex-Kaiser nor the Germans anything eto do with it.
 MT. Smillie then went into 8 de- tecription of the class of men who make up the great army of millions hof coal miners in England. Scotland kand Wales. He described how they Ehad sprung to arms in time of war fto help save the country. After men, ftioning their war services he con- e7inued:
 ~This is the class of man that is
 now called lazy and 'shirkers.' There tare tens of thousands of miners now remployed in the collferies in Wales and in every other mining district,
 ex-service men who were heroes ddr- ing the dark days of the war who Pare now being called greedy knayes' l for threatening to strike for a rise in 1 wages to meet the increased cost of living, or 'arrant fools for allowing Ia few designing men to lead them into ss.n unjust or unnecessary strike. Will the Prime Minister deny these men the right to ask for g. wage increase and fight for it?
 ~An increase of two -shilliugs, one Eshillng and nine pence per day has baccording to the age of the miners. ELt is not denied that wages are con- Essiderably under pre-war standard, Hing in spite of the fact that the
 SanAey award of two shillings per k-day was given to improve the pre- ESyar standard.
 trade as g. whole is earning very high profits at the present time, and
 would earn still higher profits if the | miners claims were conceded. The desire of the government for high CT output of coal has our support. lWe haxe expressed our willingness to
 merge wages into one factor and to FconSider in joint conference the best means of improving the output. But
 the merging of wages is a big Ques- ltion and the consideration of inn proved output could best be dealt with during times of industrial peace.
 '-The miners feel that any mine worker who gives honest service as ecoa1 producer in any mining district Eof the country is entitled to receive rthe wages paid in the more favor Eably situated districts and that if
 this@i not recognized we are being driven back to the old position again
 of wages being fixed in accordance
 with the ability of the mining com
 pany to pay.
 ~The government denies the right of the miners to have any voice in tfixing the price the domestic con sumer must pay for coal. It should sbe remembered, however, that the {, miners were consulted early in the I-Svar when the government passed the limitation of prices act liking the price of fuel. The miners gave their consent although they knew this bill would interfere with their earnings We do not understand why the gov ternment now takes the position that tfhe miners should not have any say tin fixing the price of coal for the kpeople-"