The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-19


their hands about unreasonable
men" 1t is also recommended that
Besco shall pay a little more for the
coal it uses in its steel works but not
more than the exact cost of produc-
ton.
The Heart of the Trick.
When you have waded thru this
sea of words, you are very apt to miss
the heart of the whole report if you
are not careful. What is the cause of
all the trouble in and about these coal
mines anyway? Why cannot the
miner and his employer live at peace
with each other? For this simple rea-
son: the operators run the mines to
make profit, the miners dig coal to
make living, and these two ends
just won't jibe under present condi-
tions. The miners want living, the
operators want profits. Which of
these two wants" should receive the
prime and first consideration? The
commission, this unprejudiced COM
mission, has left no doubt on that
question. Profits come first, and
these must be maintained even if the
present low standard of living of the
coal miners has to be reduced still
further Paragraph 16 of the report
is the vital thing in this report for
the miners to consider. Here is the
heart of the trick that is about to be
played and for this reason we give the
entire paragraph:
"16-Future Wage Regulation-We
have already emphasized our belief
that certainty of a continuance Of
peaceful relations is, after so many
recent eruptions. absolutely essential
to rehabilitate remunerative trading
and to permit of the operations of the
pits being developed upon the basis
Of regular and steady employment. A
short term settlement is therefore to
be deprecated most strongly. There
are two alternatives, it seems to us,
before the parties; either,
"Q) To fix a general wage varia-
ton now in the light of existing facts
and our deductions from them for
term Of, say, two years at least;
"(2) To fix that variation now, but
to let it apply only until such time as
scheme has been worked out, and is
in operation, for the automatic reguIa-
ton of wage fluctuations at stated In
tervals-say, every six months-over
a longer period of years, say at least
three years-in the light of the abil-
ty Of the coal operations to pay. The
ability to pay would be tested by
agreed data, which would be incorpo-
rated in the scheme. Any scheme of
this kind to be satisfactory must be
worked out by the parties themselves,
with the help and advice of competent
accountants appointed by each party,
and should operate under the super
vision of these accountants. It might
prove helpful to the parties if any dis
cussions they had in regard to the
! framing of such a scheme were pre-
sided over by an independent chair
man who would in no sense be an ar
bitrator, nor have determining voice
in their negotiations. We do not go
so far as to make suggestion to this
effect, but merely mention it for the
consideration of the parties.
Regulation Of War Fluctuations
1--WE strongly recommend that the
second course suggested in paragraph
16 be adopted. This scheme might
provide for the variation of wages as
a reflection of variations in selling
prices, or as reflection of variations
in some other agreed factor; but we
prefer that the test should be the pro-
ceeds Of the industry.
Machinery would be agreed upon
for the relevant figures to be continu-
ously returned, audited and adjusted
under the supervision of accountants
for both parties and any variation of
wage found to be due would be ap-
piled automatically in the wages for
the succeeding period without discus
sion or friction between the parties.
Since the ascertainment and vertical
ton Of the figures would take time, an
interval should be left between the
first period OF ascertainment and the
period governed. The first period of
ascertainment could be made the per
iod from Feb l to July 81, 1926, to
take effect from Nov. 1, 1926; and the
next period of ascertainment would be
August 1, 1926 to Jan. 81, 1927, to take
effect from April 1, 1927, and so on"
The operation of such scheme
would be subject to a provision that
wages were not in any event to be re-
duced below an agreed level or stand
ard. The length of period during
which the scheme should operate
altho we have suggested three years
as a minimum-would in a measure
depend upon the standard fixed, and
the standard itself would depend upon
the position Of the industry at the
time of fixing II, the cost OF living, and
the extent to which outside COMPETE