The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-29
COAL MINING UNIFORMITY.
7HB OPERATORS AT PITTsBURG
O0ME TO AN AGREEMENT.
Ht Vow Awaits the Signatures or oS Per Cent.
or Those Concerned 10 Become BindinG-
The M'ne Owners Think 1t Will Not End
the atEike Even ~ IL ahnnIn N Adnnted.

n Vow Awaits the Signatures OF OS Per Cent.
or Those Concerned 20 Become BindinG-
The Ea'no Owners Think II viii Not End
the Strike Even ir It should No Adopted.
PrrrsBURo, July 2s.-Tho uniformity agrec-
mont" for the coal mine owners has been pre-
pared, and all that now remains is to secure tho
signatures OF 95 per cent. of the Pittsburg dis
trict operators. This will DO the chief difficulty.
II the necessary percentage 10 secured nobody
will DO moro surprised than the operators them
selves. Thomas Young, Senator Hanna's rep
resentative, is more hopeful of the situation to-
night.
There has been n remarkable change In tho
feeling Of operators whom 1 thought opposed
to the uniformity agreement" no said. Tho
only men, 1 believe, who now stand in the way
are tho river operators and those on the main
line Of tho Pennsylvania Railroad. II they will
only sign, uniformity is assured"
But the mon who attended the meeting Of the
operators to-day insist that the status Of the
strike will not be changed, even IL the requisite
percentage OF signatures should BIO obtained.
Uniformity they say is only a formation for a
settlement. They assert that the miners are
badly fooled II they think the fact that the OPP
orators are willing to discuss uniformity means
that they are weakening In their determination
not TO grant the increase in wages asked.
The operators met this morning at IL O'Clock
for the second days session. Without much
debate the preamble and tho first five articles OF
the agreement were adopted. These articles
provide that payment Of wages shall be made in
cash; that a ton Of coal shall woigh 1000
pounds; that the miners shall DO credited with
the full weight Of coal on the wagons; that no
operator shall be interested In q store, and that
no deductions for store accounts shall be made
from wages.
In the afternoon the remaining articles were
for mining shall be paid, the price to be deter:
mined by a joint convention OF miners and oper.
s ssSF' ib that t ssS ~n %Isi aif'' ssafi BE- s't ssesrts sh,sd
s. created %0 an$. IL the e oom %Epasi1s'' Cannot
vein mining shall zach select a referee, the two
chosen to select a third; that the standard screen
sesd in area sixty square ,'sr feet; that those vio-
lating the agreement shall pay to the commits
'i9 %ft e Pf sRs ssT of no ssn SsS { f Sseo of S SSel %tn oper.
ator Zerbe spoke on the strike situation. He
said the operators stood in q critical relation to
sidered the strike for a moment The miners
leaders had induced the miners to strike at an
found in the action OF the leaders next winter,
into the miners mouths the bread they, the
1t was not low wages that made the miner
Door. but rather the fact that mines, miners.
coal market could be supplied by 80 per cent. Of
the mines in operation. For that reason 40 per
cent. OF miners and mines must remain idle, or
TO keep them going wages would be reduced.
w. p. de Armitt wanted the newspapers to
make 1t plain to the miners and the public that
uniformity would not settle the strike. Alex
ander .Dempster showed how last fall the
to hurt De Armitt. and yet, by calling a strike,
had only given the operators two months in
which to enjoy the benefits Of the wage reduc-
ton. Messrs. Do Armitt, Zerbe, Steytler, Dysart,
and Sanford were appointed n committee to
secure signatures TO the agreement, and the
Arbitration Commissioners, Little. Bishop. and
Owen, all ofOhio. were aided to the committee.
The con, ention then adjourned, to meet at the
call OF the Committee on Signatures.