Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-04


to Resume at "a Cents
Arbitration-A Conven-
bf Miners Called to Meet
Mus.
Ohio, September 3.-The
great miners strike is in
afternoon the National Ex-
bard of the United Mine
agreed to recommend to the
proposition from the Pitts
yrators for straight price of
"a ton to continue in force until
ID of the year.
delegate convention of all miners
% have suspended work has been
lied to meet in Columbus, September
at 10 a. M, to act upon the recon-
eendation.
President Ratchford and the other
9mbers Of the board say there is not
slightest doubt but that the miners
approve the recommendation.
be proposition does not involve ar
ton, and in effect provides for an
fdiate settlement of the strike.
lent Ratchford said tonight there
special reasons for the board re-
lending the proposition. In the
place 1t comedies the miners a ma
advance. Had 69-cent rate been
ed he was confident it could not
maintained for more than seventy
rs. The proposition does away with
the uncertainties of arbitration and
i'll bring the strike to speedy de-
Elimination. As soon as the miners
ratify the proposition work will be re-
sumed in all the mines. In the second
place the proposition provides for re-
yival of the joint conferences for the
adjustment of prices. The operators are
pledged to meet with the miners prior
to the termination of the agreement
and determine the rate of mining for
the next year.
Both the members of the miners ex-
ecutive board and the operators COM
mittee are pleased over the outcome OF
the conference and feel that public SEN
timent will sustain their action.
This morning the operators commit
tee renewed their first proposition for
81 cent rate pending arbitration.
This was again rejected by the min
ers' board. Then the operators COM
mittee got together and submitted a
new proposition for straight price
Of 65 cents and after long discus
sion 1t was accepted by the miners
board, subject to the approval of the
miners at large.
The following circular was issued
tonight by the National Executive
Board:
You are hereby notified that a con-
,vention will be held at Columbus O.,
at 10 O'Clock a. m, ON Wednesday,
September Sth, 1897.
Greeting-At a conference held at
Columbus, O., on September I'd and Sd,
between the National Executive Board
and district presidents Of the United
Mine Workers of America, and a rep
resentatve committee of the Pttsburg
district operators, whom we consent
ed to meet only after it became APP
parent that a national conference of
operators and miners could not be
convened.
The following propositions were SUBJ
mltted by the representatives of the
Pittsburg operators to the Executive
Board and district presidents as a
basis of settlement to terminate the
present strike:
First-A resumption of work at a
81 cent rate of mining The submit
ting of the question to a Board OF
Arbitration to determine what the
price shall be, the maximum to be
SO cents and the minimum to be 60
cents ton, the price to be effective
from date of resuming work
Second, a straight price of 65 cents
a ton to continue in force until the end
Of the year, with the additional mutual
understanding that a joint meeting of
operators and miners shall be held
in December, 1897, for the purpose of
determining what the rate of mining
shall be thereafter.
Your executive board and district
presidents, after much deliberation and
a thorough consideration of the two
propositions, do recommend the lat
ter as in their judgment the best that
stances that are apparent to all who
study market conditions since the in
auguration of the strike.
IOu, HONSNel, are the COURT OF maj
adjudication, and must decide for
yourselves what your actions shall be
and when work shall be resumed.
Additional reasons will be given and
a full report made of the general sit
nation at the convention. We would
further advise that delegates come I'M
trammelled by resolutions and unin-
structed, other than to act in your best
interests.
At this time it is deemed advisable
for the reason that provisions are made
In the uniformity agreement now pend
ing in the Pittsburg district. and which
it Is expected will be operative in that
district on and after January 1, 1898,
to arbitrate the question of relative
differential between pick and machine
mining, which will, we anticipate. do
much towards furnishing us with more
reliable data on that question than we
possess at present and to that extent
will be beneficial to us in settling
questions as between machine and pick
mining.
(Signed) BY the Members of the Ma
tional Executive Board and District
Presidents:
Fred Dilcher, R. L. Davis, ]. H. Ken
HSenry Stephenson. Patrick
anbers National Executive
W. G. Knight, Patrick