The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-02

wage to the old Garfield agreement level and removes the last raise tha+ was made.
 These reductions were finally report ed to the governor and that caused him great surprise, because the opera tors were pledged to maintain the wage scale until next, March.
 This caused thS governor to send % James Bonnymap, chairman of the coll operators, a telegram, in which he de- clared that he was ''astontshcd anu amazed since your committee repeated ly assured me that there would be no changes in wage rates during the lite of contracts then existing. l must ask that the committee insist upon all op orators maintaining the wage scale as agreed. Please make an investigation and advise me-" etc.
 Meeting Held.
 Meeting of coal operators was ac- cordingly held and at this meeting Horace E. Gibson, Walker county ops orator, introduced a resolution asking that operators who had reduced wages be condemned that their names be fur nished the public press. This resola~ tion was not adopted but committee will go to Montgomery today and make. the governor more fully acquainted" with what has been done and will cs- pecially lay before him the alleged action of the miners themselves in ap- pealing to the operators to make price concessions in order to secure con tracts, they, in return, agreeing, 1t ls alleged, to a wage reduction enabling said contracts.
 Apparent violation.
 What the governor was in arms about was the apparent violation or his award. He wants to be shown whether these wage reductions were by mutual agreement and consent II they were and wages and prices to large consumers have been reduced, ne insists on lower prices to the small consumer and the householder. who cannot protect themselves. He was in deep earnest when he twice declared that the people of Alabama would not stand again for last falls coal prices
 Mutual Agreement
 Several operators, both those who had put in reductions and those who had not done so, agreed when spoken to about the matter last night that all wage reductions had been by mutual agreement In fact they said, the re- auctions had come about alter pro- nounced request from their miners that they do so as d base Tor gettinE coal contracts In competition Wllh other producers.
  states, is selling in Mobile, Anniston and Huntsville A Jefferson county producer has just lost Huntsville contract to Kentucky coal.
 Northern Ceai
 Illinois coal is selling all over Mis- sssippi and is invading the New Or leans market. One operator says he declined to accede to his mems request to go after business at reduced prices based on reduced wages for some time, but finally yielded. As result, his men are getting four days week instead of two. and he is shipping Alabama coal where it has never been shipped before.
 These representations will be made to the governor today by Morris Bush, James Bonnyman and Henry T. DeBar- deleben, who are going to Montgomery to acquaint the governor with the sit uation.
 One operators said: "It was 6 case of reducing prices and wages or letting Aiabamas coal business go to demni- tion bowA vows. Not only did we re- duce wages by consent of the men. but they requested this action long before | 1t was taken. There has been no viola tiop of the governors award. either in letter or in spirit. The reductions were at the very aernest request of the