These demands were as follows:

1. That there be a 60 per cent increase upon all classifications by day labor, tonnage, yardage, and day work in the central competitive field. That, of course, carries with it that the basis of understanding reached in the central competitive field on the part of the mine workers would be satisfactory in all outlying coal-producing districts.

2. That a six-hour day, five days per week, be established.

3. That the day labor be paid time and a half for overtime and double time for Sundays and holidays.

4. That pay days shall be upon a weekly basis.

5. That the double shift of work on coal for commercial tonnage be abolished. 6. That the automatic penalty clause be abolished.

7. That the internal differences not covered by interstate joint agreement shall be referred back to the respective districts for adjustment.

8. That any contract negotiated be effective from and after November 1, 1919, to run for a period of two years from that date.

The joint conference recessed at Buffalo on October 2 to reconvene in Philadelphia on October 9, 1919, for the purpose of continuing negotiations, but adjourned without agreement two days later, October 11.

The Cleveland convention had instructed Acting President John L. Lewis, in the event of failure to secure an agreement at the joint conference, to issue a strike order effective midnight of October 31, 1919. On October 14 Secretary Wilson, having learned that the strike order was about to be issued, sought to have it withheld until after he had had an opportunity to confer with Mr. Lewis and Mr. Thomas T. Brewster, president of the Coal Operators' Association. The request of the Secretary of Labor was made in a telegram as follows:

"Merchants' Bank Building, Indianapolis, Ind.: "Section 8 of the law creating the Department of Labor provides that 'The Secretary of Labor shall have power to act as a mediator and to appoint commissioners of conciliation in labor disputes whenever in his judgment the interests of industrial peace may require it to be done.' I have been very much disturbed by the reports to the effect that the operators and miners have failed to reach an agreement and have adjourned without making arrangements for further conference, and that a strike is therefore likely to take place in the bituminous coal fields of the United States on the 1st day of November. As the executive officer of the Government intrusted with the responsibility of mediation, I would like to have you meet me in the office of the Secretary of Labor at Washington at 11 o'clock Thursday morning, October 16, for the purpose of considering the situation as it exists in the bituminous coal fields. I would respectfully request that no strike order be issued until after I have had an opportunity of a conference with you. I have also asked Mr. Brewster, president of the Coal Operators' Association, to meet me at the same time and place. "W. B. WILSON,

On the following day, October 15, Mr. Lewis wired the Secretary that the order had already been issued as per instructions of the Cleveland convention. Two days later, or on October 17, the Secretary of Labor invited a conference between a scale committee of the operators and miners to meet in the Depart

ment of Labor on Tuesday, October 21, which conference convened on the date set and continued in session for four days. On October 24 the conference adjourned without reaching an agreement. On November 1 the strike began, and nearly 400,000 union miners ceased work. In the meantime, on October 21, 1919, the Attorney General filed a bill in equity at Indianapolis, Ind., before the United States district court praying for an injunction to restrain the miners from striking. Federal Judge Anderson issued the order, and it was followed by a writ of temporary injunction, dated November 8, calling upon the union officials to cancel and revoke the strike order, which order was revoked in the form and manner approved by the court. However, the men did not return to work, and to all intents and purposes the strike was in effect.

On October 30 President Wilson asked Federal Fuel Administrator Garfield to reassume his duties, and the administrator at once put into effect an order restoring war-time prices and distribution of bituminous and anthracite coal. The miners contended that their contract with the operators had expired because the war, to all practical purposes, was at an end, while the operators contended that the miners had broken their contract, because they had agreed to work to April 1, 1920, or until peace was declared. The Secretary of Labor on November 18 invited the coal miners and operators from all bituminous-coal producing fields in the United States to meet at Washington, and a conference resulted in which the Secretary of Labor made several suggestions, among them, first, that a joint conference of all the fields of the United States be held; second, that the central competitive field hold its joint conference and the other producing districts hold their joint conferences concurrently with the central competitive field; third, that the central competitive field take up and begin negotiations again. The last of these propositions was accepted, and the joint conference reconvened.

On November 20 the operators made a proposition giving an advance of 15 cents a ton for pick and machine mining and 20 per cent on day work contingent upon the Federal fuel administrator granting an increase in the selling price. The miners rejected this offer and reasserted their former demands. On November 21 the miners modified their original demands by asking for a 40 per cent increase, which was voted down by the operators. At this point the Secretary of Labor was notified by the joint scale committee that they had reached a deadlock and were about to adjourn unless the Government had some further suggestions to make. Upon receipt of this information Secretary Wilson submitted a basis of settlement, as follows:

"As I view the attitude of the public toward the present dispute between the miners and the operators in bituminous coal-mining operations, they will not willingly submit to pay a cent more for coal than is necessary to give a just wage to the miners and a fair profit to the operators, but they are willing to pay any rate that is fair to all three. The question to be determined, then, is what that rate should be.

"The figures produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the three bituminous mining towns for which the workingman's family budget has been computed show an increase in the cost of living in these towns since December, 1914, of 79.8 per cent, as follows:

Estimated per cent of increase in cost of living in Brazil, Ind., Danville, Il., and Pana, Ill., from December, 1914, to June, 1919.

"The run of mine pick mining price in the Pittsburgh and Hocking Valley fields in 1914 was 64.64 cents per ton. Adding 79.8 per cent to 64.64 cents gives an increase of 51.58 cents per ton. Since December, 1914, the miners in the Pittsburgh and Hocking Valley fields have received an increase of 23 cents per ton. Twenty-three cents deducted from 51.58 cents leaves a balance of 28.58 cents as the increase per ton that would be necessary to make the Pittsburgh and Hocking Valley mine run pick mining rates equivalent to the present increase in the cost of living.

"In 1914 the mine run pick mining rate in the Danville district of Illinois and the Indiana bituminous field was 61 cents per ton. Adding 79.8 per cent to 61 cents makes an increase of 48.67 cents per ton. The increase in the mining rate since December, 1914, has been 23 cents per ton. Deducting the 23 cents from 48.67 cents leaves a balance of 25.67 cents as the increase per ton necessary to bring the Danville, Ill., and Indiana bituminous mine run pick mining rates up to the equivalent of the present cost of living.

"These mining rates have always been accepted as the basic price upon which flat advances or decreases should be computed in order to avoid changing the differentials between different kinds of mining. Assuming that the Pittsburgh and Hocking Valley rates and the Danville and Indiana bituminous rates have equal weight and taking the average, we arrive at 27.12 cents per ton as the increase that would be necessary to bring the miners to the equivalent of the present increase in the cost of living, which would be fair to the public, fair to the operators, and fair to the miners.

"An increase of 27.12 cents per ton would be 30.94 per cent increase on the present Pittsburgh and Hocking Valley rates, and 32.28 per cent increase on the present Danville, Ill., and Indiana bituminous rates, or an average increase of 31.61 per cent. Applying this increase to the rate to drivers, which has also always been the basic rate upon which a flat advance to day wage workers has been computed, we get 31.61 per cent of $5, or $1.58, as the advance per day in wages of day men.

"On the same basis yardage and dead-work should be increased 31.61 per cent.

"To summarize: There should be a flat increase in mining rates of 27.12 cents per ton, a flat increase in day wages of $1.58, and an increase in yardage and dead-work of 31.61 per cent."

The miners signified their willingness to accept the proposition, and the operators also intimated that it would be acceptable to them if they could have a definite assurance from the fuel administrator, Dr. Garfield, that he would fix

a selling price for coal that would enable them to operate at a profit. An adjournment was therefore taken to enable them to consult with Dr. Garfield. Three days later, on November 24, Dr. Garfield appeared before the joint conference and enumerated the following principles:

"(1) The public must not be asked to pay more than it is now paying for coal unless it is necessary to do so in order to provide reasonable wages to the mine workers and a reasonable profit to the operators.

(2) The arrangement entered into between the operators, the mine workers, and the fuel administrator, with the sanction of the President of the United States, in October, 1917, was intended to equalize the wages of all classes of mine workers and to be sufficient to cover the period of the war, but not beyond March 31, 1920; hence the only increase in cost of living which can now be considered is the increase above that provided for by the average increase in 1917; that is to say, the average total increase in pay over the 1913 base, which was the base considered in 1917, should not exceed the present average increase in the cost of living over the same base. It is also to be considered that the cost of living will fall rather than rise during the next few years.

“(3) The maximum prices fixed by the Government on coal were calculated to increase production of coal for war purposes. Coal was basic and the increase imperative. The public ought not be asked to pay and will not now pay the increase over normal profits then allowed for the purpose of stimulating production.

"(4) Any increases in wages now arrived at on the basis of the foregoing principles should be borne by the operators or the public or both, as may be determined by the application of these principles, and should take effect as of the date when the men returned to work.

"(5) The needs of the United States are not alone to be considered; Europe is in desperate need of coal and should have all that we can spare." On November 26 he stated his conclusions as follows:

"Applying the principles set forth in paragraph 2 of the statement of November 24, when the average increases in wages since 1913 for the various classes of mine workers are deducted from the increase in the cost of living since that time, we arrive at the amount of additional increase in wages justifiable at the present time. I have taken the figures of the Bureau of Labor Statistics for both cost of living and for the weighted averages of wage increase. According to these figures the cost of living has risen 79.8 per cent since 1913, and the amount necessary to bring the average wages of mine workers up to this point at the present time is 14 per cent."

The miners rejected this proposition, but expressed their willingness to accept that of the Secretary of Labor. The operators immediately issued a statement accepting Dr. Garfield's proposition. In the meantime the leaders of the United Mine Workers of America were summoned to appear before Judge Anderson December 9 at Indianapolis to answer charges of contempt of court in not obeying the mandate of the court to withdraw the strike order. Through a series of conferences with Attorney General Palmer and the officials of the United Mine Workers an understanding was reached on December 6 for the settlement of the strike controversy by the creation of a commission, and the same was accepted for the miners through their representatives at Indianapolis on December 10. The contempt proceedings were canceled and work was resumed as soon as possible. On December 20 President Wilson created the United States Bituminous Coal Commission to take up, consider, and hand down an award on all matters in dispute. The personnel of the commission was as follows: Henry M. Robinson, of California, chairman; Rembrandt Peale,

of Pennsylvania; and John P. White, of Iowa. The report of the commission was submitted to the President on March 3, 1920, and the principal points in the award follow:

66 THE AWARD.

"We hereby award that all the terms, conditions, and provisions, mining rates, and wage schedules in effect on October 31, 1919, in what is known as the Washington agreement, dated October 6, 1917, and the agreements preceding the Washington agreement, to which the Washington agreement is supplemental and upon which it is predicated, applying to the central competitive field and the outlying districts, shall be written into the agreement for which these findings constitute a basis, except as the same may be modified by the awards and recommendations hereinafter set forth.

"As a modification of the terms of the agreements above recfted, we award: "A. That the following specific awards shall constitute the basis upon which wage agreements in all districts shall be predicated. They are not subject to negotiations, but shall be written into all agreements and schedules of wages.

"B. That the 14 per cent average increase in wages fixed by the United States Fuel Administration shall be eliminated on March 31, 1920, and in lieu thereof the wage scale of the Washington agreement referred to shall be increased as set forth herein.

"C. That the agreement for which this award constitutes a basis shall take effect April 1, 1920, and continue in effect up to and including March 31, 1922. "D. That the mining prices for mining mine-run coal, pick and machine, shall be advanced 24 cents per ton.

"E. That in the block-coal field of Indiana, and in other localities that are still on the screened-coal base, the usual methods of applying the tonnage rates shall continue. This also has its application to districts that have a joint understanding in applying wage increases to low coal.

“F. That all day labor and monthly men (the advance to each monthly man to be based on an average of the usual number of days he is required to work in a month), except trappers and other boys, be advanced $1 per day. Trappers and boys receiving less than men's wages to be advanced 53 cents per day.

"G. That all yardage, dead work, and room turning be advanced 20 per cent: Provided, however, That nothing shall prevent the representatives of the miners and operators in any district, in joint conference, from taking the flat equivalent of the 20 per cent and applying it to yardage, dead work, and room turning, if by so doing they will make for uniformity and maintain the differentials. Failing, however, to agree to such application, then the 20 per cent shall be applied on the existing rates, effective October 31, 1919.

"H. That the decisions, which hereinbefore appear in the body of this report and which are hereinafter summarized, are to be incorporated, according to the letter and spirit of the said decisions, in the agreements to be drawn between the miners and operators; and that the said decisions shall constitute the basis upon which the wage agreements in all districts shall be predicated. They are not subject to negotiations, but shall be written into all agreements and schedules of wages. However, the several joint-scale committees may, by mutual agreement, make such proper adjustment of local conditions as may come within the terms and scope of this award, and of the Washington agreement, dated October 6, 1917, and of the agreements preceding the Washington agreement, to which the Washington agreement is supplemental, as more fully set forth in clause No. 6 of the joint agreement of the central competitive field, dated March 9, 1916."

Strike of bituminous miners in Illinois and adjacent States.-Claiming that the award of the Bituminous Coal Commission did not provide a just increase