The record-union., 1897-07-28

PITTSBURG, July 27.-Eighty-nin
coal company mines located in the
Pittsburg district who ship by river
were represented at the coal operators
meeting to-day, and those owning
mines in the West Moreland field
were not present. The river operators
held a meeting at the Coal Exchange
this afternoon, and decided to take no
part in the uniformity movement. No
attention was paid to the call by the
West Moreland people. Very little
was accomplished at the sessions to-
day. The old uniformity agreement,
with the new clauses inserted, was re-
ported on by a committee, and the
meeting will tomorrow take up the
agreement by clauses for discussion,
Where changes in the conditions since
1896 warrant diffrenet provisions, COM
mittees will be appointed to draw up
clauses that will cover the points at
issue The only sensational accident
of to-days sessions occurred when
Colonel W. P Rend presented mi
nority report on the uniformity agree
ment, denouncing the procedure of the
meeting in severe terms, and boiling
the conference.
PITTSBURG, July 27.-The long
ooked-for conference of the Pittsburg
coal operators, which the joint Arbl-
tration Committee fully expects to
adopt a plan which will settle the big
miners strike, was called for II o'clock
this morning in the Court House, but
owing to the slowness of the operators
lAnfn
was called to order. 1t was the largest
meeting of the kind ever held in this
district. The convention being an open
one, miners, officials and many inter-
ested citizens were on hand as Specta-
tors.
Among those present were: DR.. B.
Frank Schmidt, Labor Commissioner of
Indiana Judge Selwyn ToWens, Secre-
tary Bishop and General John Little of
the Ohio Board of Arbitration; George
w. Schulderberg, representing the
Francis l.. Robbins interests; Alexan-
der Dempster of the Bower Hill and
Spring Hill mines, w. P. Murray of
Pickards, Mather & Co., r. Salger and
Frank NJ. Osborne of Osborne, Saeger
& Co., w. r. Wilson of RidgeWay,
Bishop & Co, A. w. and Thomas E.
Young representing M. A. Hanna &
Co., Colonel w. P. Rend of Chicago, w.
P. and Thomas De Armitt representing
the New York and Cleveland Gas Coal
Company, William Beading of Bead
ling Brothers, J. c. Dysart, John New
ell of J. w. Ellsworth & Co., G. w.
Hitchcock, A. c. Saunders, D. w. Van
Eman of the Pittsburg and Chicago
Gas Coal Company, George and John
Hosack, Frank Armstrong, w. j.
Steen, E. n. Wildman, J. w. Allies, w.
Black, r. NJ Dressbach, James Arm
strong, J. Weiser of the Lake Shore
Coal Company, w. NJ Dinker Of the
Eureka Coal Company, D. NJ. Ander-
son, J. w Blower of the Equita bic
Coal Company, William Shinn, Edward
Boyle of Boyle Brothers, Henry Floer-
sheim, the F'inleyvilfe operator, John
Blythe of the Blythe Coal Company,
and J. ]. Stretler of the Slope Mining
Company.
AS yet the true uniformity plan
which is being urged by the Arbitration
Committee, is the only one presented
for action by the conference.
While the operators generally are
dpchlliCllC anu nave lIllC 1otllL Tic
successful consummation of the COM
mittee's wish, they are anxious to dis
cuss and adopt some plan which will
put the miners to work. True uniformi-
ty calls for cash payments for every
,, 900 pounds of coal mined every two
weeks, abolishment of company stores,
and the multiform screen. The differ
entail between the thick and thin-vein
coal, and between Ohio and Pennsylva-
MIA coal may come up for considera-
ton.
The operators in the thin-vein coal
say the IA cents difference in favor of
thick-vein coal is too much, and some
go so far as to say it should be cut one
half. This cut if attempted, will be
fought by the thfck-vein operators, and
may be the first rock on which the con-
ference will split, as all the other points
mentioned have been granted in former
conferences.
There are 106 railroad mines in the
Pittsburg district and these are oper-
ated by eighty-nine firms. Thirteen of
these are said to mine and control al
most 80 per cent. of the coal mined IN
the district.
The ambition of the arbitrators and
W. P. De Armitt, the father of the uni
formity agreement, is to have 80 per
cent. of the eighty-rine operators agree
to adopt a system or standard of doing
business.
The number of operators was in
creased to seventy-f five before the meet
Ing began. w P. Murray called the
meeting to order at 11:30 a. m, by
nominal ting Alexander Dempster for
Chairman. Colonel w. P. Rend named
George w. Schleudburg, but he declined
and Mr.. Dempster was chosen to pre-
side
General John Little was chosen Vice
President. He made a short address,
saying that the board was here as citi-
zens and had no personal interest in the
coal business. They hoped by concil-
iation and mediation to bring about a
settlement between the contending fac
tons. State lines had nothing to do
with the question. The operators had
the power to settle this controversy. As
Pittsburg goes so will go the other
sections.
After electing Marshal H. Reno Sec
retary, a committee was appointed to
take up the proposed uniformity agree
ment, revise it TO suit the changed con-
ditions since its first formulation and
report to the conference at 3 o'clock.
The committee consists of W. p De
Armitt, George W. Schleudburg, Thos.
E. Young, W. P. Rend, d. P. Black, Z.
S. Andrews. James Armstrong and F.
NJ. Osborne.