Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-07
OUR SCALE ONLY SO.
A Slight Reduction for Western
Pennsylvania Coal Miners.
THEY AND THE OPERATORS AGREE,
After Hitch and the Barring Of K. Of L.
Delegates Entirely.
GLASS Is GETTING A GOOD SEND-OFF

As there is more legislation for Pittsburg
and vicinity in the coal miners and opera
tors convention, in indianapolis, than for
any other region, and as we have more
miners and operators represented there, the
following telegram from headquarters last
night will be of special local interest in
dustriously:
Two organizations strove for the mastery in
the national meeting of miners to-day One
was the Progressive Union. composed Of men,
beIs of the old Federation and of many X. OF
L. organizations. The other was weak repre-
sentation OF Knights from the Miners District
135, K. of L. The former was represented by
40 delegates; the latter by7. There were sew
eral hundred other miners and operators
present.
The first business was to dispose of the con-
tested seats. The seven members of d. A. 135
were ruled out Progressive Union delegates
having shown to the satisfaction Of the major.
ity to represent the districts adequately from
which the Knights came.
The convention was finally organized with
representatives from Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Indiana. There are no West Virginia
(Kanawha district) or Illinois representatives
here. This makes the situation somewhat en-
barrassing. In neither of these districts do the
operators recognize organized labor. They
mine their coal at prices below the associa-
tions schedule. They therefore rule the mar
ket particularly in Chicago and the Northwest.
They cannot be induced to enter the associa-
tion and live up to the schedule adopted by 1t.
The operators in the association claim, there
fore, that the schedule should be reduced so
that they may compete with outside operators.
During the morning proceedings John NC
D,;1 Drao LIANT Nf %6a iun
offered to bet 500 to $50 that the miners whom
L. M. Baty claimed to represent numbered not
more than 80, instead of 257 this circumstance
creating an interest among the operators, VINO
Justify cried out that the contestants put up"
No money was staked, and finally vote was
reached, after Oscar Townsend, of Ohio, sug-
gested that the contesting elements should
have had an harmonious understanding before
coming into the convention, insisting that, II
not already too late, some move be made to
this end.
Pennsylvania operators gave their vote in be-
half of the X. of L. delegates, and Indiana
divided, all the other representatives voting
mo-" Colonel Rend, of Chicago. in the inter-
est of harmony, urged that the K. of l.. dele.
gates be allowed to remain; but they were not
The Committee on Scale of Wages was un-
able to agree on an acceptable report. The
Indiana operators wanted a reduction of block
from so to 20 cents ton, and on bituminous
coal from 10 TO % cents TON. Inc operators
wanted to know also if the miners would be
willing to work for less than the scale. They
replied that they would not, and this caused
prolonged wrangle. The base scale that was
reported calls for 60 cents in Ohio on bitumin-
ous coal; 65 cents in Indiana; 20 cents in Penn
sylvania; 80 cents in Indiana block. The report
has not yet been adopted.
The debate lasted until II o'clock, when an
agreement was reached and the scale as given
above, except with Pennsylvania changed to
79. reported to the convention and adopted.
The demand of the Indiana operators for re.
duction was refused. 1t is understood the new
scale will take effect May !.