The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-25
THE STRIKE GOES ON.
The Conference Between the Operators
and Miners Failure.

Pittsburg, Pa, August 24.-The final
effort to arrange plan for ending the
big coal strike has proved failure and
the strike goes on. At noon the confer
ence between a committee of coal opera
tors and miners national and district
officials, closed, and the conference adj
journed without date. The miners
representatives did not recede from their
original proposition to settle the strike by
arbitration and start the mines at the SO
cent rate, President Ratchford insisting
that nothing but the SO. cent rate could
possibly be accepted.
The operators were firm, but every
argument of the mine owners was met by
the miners leaders, and it was decided to
end the conference. President Ratchford
gave out the following statement:
Awe have disagreed. Our position re-
mains unchanged. Beside our proposition
TO arbitrate we made them a second one
along the lines of bringing about a gen.
eral conference of miners and operators
of all the mining states. They refused to
lend their efforts in that direction and
the strike will be continued. We have nc
other plans for the future. !"
Immediately after the close of the morn
ing conference, j. b. Zerbe called a meet
ing of operators for two o'clock this after
noon to discuss the situation and outline
a plan for future action.
At this meeting the miners ultimatum
to return to work at the SO cent rate pend
ing arbitration was rejected. The opera.
| tors will now carry out the plan adopted
| at the Cleveland conference and will open
their mines at once. If the old men will
| not accept their terms new ones will be
| imported
The press committee began the prepare
ton OF n statement for the public, giving
the operators side and placing the respon.
s1bllity upon the miners officials.
The operators conference was in secret
session Tor several hours and when the
| doors We're opened their press agent an
nounced that the mines certainly would
be started with all the old diggers il
possible, and with imported men If the
| old men refuse to work. A committee
was appointed, composed of representa-
| tives OF every firm in the district to map
out the mode of procedure for the resump
tion. Ss4
President Patrick Dolan said he was
very sorry that no conclusion had beer
| reached. He remarked: "We must con.
tinue the strike with undated vigor."
Quiet at Strikers Camp.
Pittsburg, August 24.-Quiet prevails
mitt mines. Both sides are waiting fol
the decision of the court in cases of the
| five men arrested on Saturday morning
This morning the campers did not even
go out in small groups on account of q
drizzling rain.
Strikers Suffer Further Losses.
Wheeling, W. Va, August 24.-The
strikers suffer further losses in the
Kawaha valley in the upper Laup Greek
region and along New river today. New
river mines loaded 600 cars of coal yester
day which is a big days work for normal
conditions. In the Kanwhaa two hun
dred more men went to work today which
leaves very few men out
Fairmont increased its output and the
Norfolk and Western region shows nc
signs of strike. Leader Rea in the Fair
mont region today established five camps
of miners.