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Show Secretary Wilson Explains the Coal Situation in U. S. WASHINGTON. Nov 11 No one knows," say Secretary Wilson, "to what extent production would be reduced re-duced by the introduction of a six-hour working da. and in these times when we have not yet recovered from the effects of the war we cannot afford to undertake the experiment of redueing working hours to six per day and five days per week " Referring to the demands of the minors min-ors for a sixty per cent increase in 9 the secretary said such an in crease is an impossibility as it would give the minors wases out of propor tiOD to those in other Industries The secretary said "the stand pat position taken by the operators here toforo is also ?n impossibility." Althouch th" "V.'ashinRton wage agreement" still is in effect, the secre-iar secre-iar said the pt.-ople of the country did not want to exact "the technical provisions pro-visions of a bond when the conditions under which the bond was ma4o have i hanced." "Figures reveal," he said, "that the i -t- cost of livinc on the bams of a fainll y I budget has increased from 73 to 79 I per cent while the wages of the miners during the same period have increased only from 31 to 50 per cent. Notwithstanding Notwith-standing the terms of the bond the increase in-crease in i h- rost of living is anexist-ins anexist-ins fact and relief should be given on the ba-is of justice." Referring to restrictions of ihe fuel administration, Mr Wilson said the government had no desiro to maintain re maximum price nr coai u mat 'price resulted in 'injustice to miners or any one else, but it will nor con sent to an increase in the selling price that would do an Injustice to the con ' ruining public." Secretarv Wilson said ho realized i that some of the operators were ready to call the miners "reds. Bolshevists and bandits," and that some of the miners would accuse operators of be j ing "task masters, coal barons and ' profiteers." '"Having assumed that." he con eluded "consider your rock quarries exhausted and get down to consider What Is fair and just to the unionr, the j operators and tho public." ; ' Above all," said the secretary, "we ;are confronted with the fact that the great mass of people dependent upon - m coal in their e erv day life are Inter m lested in reaching a s it lenient not onK in the central coal field.-, but in all coal fields. Jt for that reason I 1 have asked your meeting here. "I desire to recommend that wagfl scale committees representative of all j the fields proceed to negotiate an ad- j justment. I want to point out to you- that prompt anion is necessary. As l long as your troubles were local In chararter, only affecting a small part J of communities, there was no dispo?:' tion to hurry- you, but when your dl'- I putes take on a magnitude that affects J 'the entire country then the people at 1 large as a matter of c-lf-preservation 1 I aro insistent that you come to a set- j tlement. The miners' conference demanded a 1 1 30 -hour week, a 60 per ron increase In rages. If ou make :i maximum of 30 hour under the conditions surround ling the minint Industry it means an effect working week of very mucn 1 fewer hours than that." The reason for this, the secretary ex j plained, was the seasonal demand f?T j eoal in many districts and mine accidents acci-dents and breakdowns and the iupop- I sibility of furnishinc transportation : equipment to keep all of the mine? j working regularlv. |