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Show HEli THE PRODUCERS OF ANTHRACITE Wilson Decrees Mine Operators Oper-ators Are Entitled to Receive Re-ceive 35 Cents a Ton More for Ccal. MINERS TO SHARE IN THE INCREASE President Takes Action Upon Recommendation of Dr. Garfield, Fuel Administrator. i By International News Service. WASHINGTON, Dec. 1. Another advance in price on essential commodities commodi-ties tv as made by the government tonight. to-night. President Wilson, by executive order, decreed that the operators of anthracite an-thracite mines are entitled to -"5 cents per ton more for their coal. The advance ad-vance was made to enable toe operators to meet wage increases n verapn -5 per cent to all their miner?. The year's output is estimated at about 81,00000 tons and the operators therefore will have so:ne 2?. 000,000 extra to meet the tyajze increases. The president's executive order follows: fol-lows: The scale of prices prescribed August Au-gust 23. 1P17. by the president of the United States for anthracite i coal at the mines adjusted as to pea coal October 1. 1917. by order t of the United State? fuel adminis trator, is hereby amended by add- ! irg the sum of thirty-five (35) cents J to each of the prices so prescribed or adjusted, provided, however, That this increase in price shall not J apply to any coal sold at the mines j under an existing contract containing contain-ing a provision for an increase in the price of coal thereunder in case of an increase of wages paid to miners. This order shall become effective at 7 a. m. on December 1. 1P17. WODFOW WTLSON. Garfield's Letter. At the same time the order was issued is-sued a letter from Dr. H. A. Garfield, fuel administrator, recommending the in Tea se, uas made public. Dr. Garfield, Gar-field, writing to the president, said: The labor problem in the anthracite anthra-cite mines is not -iifferent in any material respect from that in the bituminous fields. Most of - the comment in my letter on October 26 applicable to the anthracite situation. situa-tion. . It is therefore unnecessary to rerfat it here. On the 17th day of November, after a conference of about, t.vo veeks, the anthracite operators and miners reached an agreement, a copv of which I enclose. Tn response to my request the operators ' association furnished statements shovvutg in derail the ronn?:p and actual labor costs since the "ir.st svasr increases. Hay. 1917, and the additional co:-t per ton. if the increase of November 17 is i added. ! Basis of Figures. Th.-e ngrn-es were base.- upon an examination of over CS.OOO.'V'O tons, or S"i per cen of the total ornaee et:m?'ed for 3017. If the propsH wae incrav becomes effective, the ineread ro?t placed jfion the operators vriH ran'e from 26 rent? per ten to 56 cent3 a ton. A small high cost tonnacr shows additional cots it ton as high as 70 cents. The weighted avrmge of the above mentioned tonnage ac-'uraMv ac-'uraMv figured iK -'-7.2 r-en- per tr-n. The inreoeri cost of operators opera-tors prodii'.'lng about 4 1 .OOri.nO'", 'oni or iVstantialiy one-half of this yf ar s tonna will be 3 ) "-eats and upward yer ton. then askfd for the 35 rents in-'ra in-'ra adding: ;(In this connection I desire to say that it is my expectation to order the reduction in anthracite prices which i has been rularly given beginning i April 1, 1919." Must Pay the Scale. Dt. Oarfield mad- it plain tonight i that operators who do not pav the i higher wage scale will not be prmittd j to charge the increased prices. No penalty clause is necpssarv, be told the president, beans the hoard of conciliation, con-ciliation, created by Prcddnt Roosevelt Roose-velt in lf'02, ha handled the situation so v.-pII that the penalty clause, is not called for. Tho wage echedules adopted vary in j dcre" but the average in 2- per cent! for all miner. The art-mnt on thorn i was signed bv "W. .7. Ki chard 3, S. D. V.'arrenier, Daniel Vrpn.1 and W. T,. Conned! for the operators, and John T. Dmpsey, Thomas Kennedy, .Tames Matthews and Prank J. Hayes for the miners. |