Birmingham state herald., 1897-07-29
"UNIFORNITY0 CONFERENCE Concludes Its Labor and Ready
 for Signatures. TIE PLAN AS PROPOSED
Will Abolish Commissaries, Allow the Men for
 All the Coal Mined
AND PAY OFF TWICE EACH MONTH
Outlook for the Miners Not at All Satis- factcry-West Virginia Proves Boom- erang Troops Asked for From
 the Illinois Governor. ESze

iiltsbui B. Juiy Io.-I0e utTllOlHnl y
 conference of coal operators of the Pitts l burg district concluded its work tonight
 at 9:15 o'clock, after a two days session ] of close and persistent work. The twen-
 by-one sections of the uniformity agree
 ment were thoroughly discussed and adopted, selction by section. The bsst of
 feeling prevailed throughout the meet
 ings, the only exception Icing the bolting
 of Col. Rend at yesterdays session. Just previous to adjournment, however, Judge Owens announced that Col. Rend had | authorized him to state that any agree
 ment the conference adopted would meet ! bis hearty approval and he would sign it
 if 95, 50 or even 25 per cent. of the opsra- tors were Sincerey in favor Of 1t. A com
 mittee composed of w. P. Dearmitt, J. B.
 Scar, J. B. Overt and N. E. Sanford, r with Gen. John N. Little to secure the signatures of the operators to the agree
 ment was appointed. The committee will
 begin It's work tomorrow. It will be
 aided by the Ohio board of arbitration. When the requisite number of signatures have been secured another meeting will be held to ratify the agreement. Speeches
 were made by Dearmitt, Dempster, Lit tile, Scar and others, all expressing sa'dls- faction over the result of the meeting and predicting success of the plan.
 Thei agreement as adopted provides for
 cash payment of wages, 1000 pounds to
 the ton, check weighmen on the nipples.
 miners to be credited with the full quan-
 tity of coal contained in the mine car. abolition of company stores, Sami-month- ly pay days; uniform price for pick m.n-
 ing in the thin and thick vein districts
 and screens not exceeding one and one half inchea. It also provides that in case of the violation of the provisions and terms of the agreement a penalty of 10 cents per ton on the total output of coal mined by the vio,ator will be charged which penalty is to be paid to a com mittee subject to the right of further arr
 bitration and appeal. Said penalty when
 contributed is to be distributed among
 the signers of the agreement pro rata in proportion to the total amount of ton-
 nnge of product mined.
 The board formed H--be- known as
 the uniformity commission. It Shall be composed of nine miners, thick and thin ]! vein operators having proper representa- tion. The members shall be sworn to faithfully and impartially perform the | duties of their office and will be author ized and empowered to enforce the judg ments and awards. It shall also be enl- powered to enforce provisions subject on- ly to the act of Pennsylvania regarding | forcibe arrangements. The act shall be l enforced on. or before January 1, 1898, | when 90 per cent have signed and when enough signatures have been secured to 1 put intos force a meeting shall be called 1 in Pittsburg to declare it officially opera l tive.
 It is distinctly understood that all 1 miners are to adopt the same scale, etc., i but that it has nothing to do with the l strike. They want the miners to dis l abuse their minds on that score. The operators prohibit the miners officials | from taking any part In the conference between the operators and the miners by inserting the clause that the committee shall be composed of worlingmen em- ployed by the subscribers. Heretofore l the miners officials have represented the l miners, but now the miners are to grap- l pie with the question in dispute alone. It was decided that present contracts could not be made the basis of arbitra- tions Many companies have contract ed for a stipulated period at fixed price. | It is understood that these shall have the right to make contracts to fill them at the rate on which the contracts are based. | Here is where the miners and operators will separate.
 The attendance at the session today l was not as large as the day previous. ! Operators from eighty-five rail mines and 1 five river mines agreed to take part in the conference, which is larger per- centage than it was hoped to gather.
 The operators worked smoothly and few objections were raised to the agreement as written. There was close vote on the question whether the committee to
 be appointed should be privileged to tam per with the differential in the thick and thin vein regions.
 Flank Osborne made a motion to let it stand as usage and custom had made it. but w. P Dearmitt argued that if the differential was fair and just nore
 should fear to have the subject arbi- trated.
 The vote on the question was thirteen to have it settled by the committee and
 eleven to have it stand as at present. .
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