The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-20
MINERS AND OPERATORS
POINTS AT ISSUE BETWEEN COAL
DIGGERs AND EMPLOYERS.
Question of Differentials the Hardest
Problem to SoIve-Nine-HOur Work
Day May BE Granted.

CHICAGO, Jan. 1.-Two brief sessions
were held by the interstate bituminous
coal operators and miners to-day and ad
journment was taken until tomorrow pend
ing the scale committees report From a
public point Of view everything in and
about the convention appeared calm, but
in the secrecy OF the scale committee cham
ber the old war between operators of the
Ohio and Pennsylvania fields was fiercely
raging. Early in the session of the commit
tee the question of hours of labor was thor
oughly gone over. Representatives of the
workmen favored an eight-hour day, but
their principal contention was for uni
form day in place of the varying hours
now established in the different States The
operators were willing to meet them half
way and it is understood uniform working
day of nine hours will be recommended to
the convention.
The knotty problem of state differentials
was taken up. This brought the Ohio and
Pennsylvania operators together with
crash, and in order to allow them full
swing the regular committee took a recess
until evening. The Ohio and Pennsylva-
MIA operators then went into session by
themselves. The issue between these two
States is of years standing. Ohio operators
nave hlthertO succeeded in securing rate
of to 10 cents per ton below the Penn
sylvania scale, while it is claimed by the
Pennsylvania people that Ohio operators
obtain 20 to 80 cents more per ton for their
output. The fight to remove this differ
enee on one side and to retain on the other
is therefore a bitter one. 1t is probable
that the scale committee will be unable to
agree on all matters before it and will make
its troubles known to the full convention
asking for further instructions.
During this mornings session of the con-
Vention Chairman Dalzell. of the Illinois
operators, presented motion that the Illi-
nols miners be permitted to name a COM
mlttee OF tWenty-One to meet the operators
and agree on differentials in the State The
operators, he said had agreed on a basis
or dIfferentialS, and in order TO facilitate
action in the convention he proposed to
nave the locals ready for the contention
Differentials seem to be a signal for dis
cord whenever mentioned and no sooner had
Mr. Dalzells motion been seconded than a
storm of opposition broke loose from In
diana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. President
RatchfOrd supported the Illinois plan saw
ing 1t would facilitate the working of the
convention and could do no harm. A mo-
ton to table Mr.. DalZell's plan was put and
declared lost under the rules. although it
received a vote of "a against IL Chairman
Holcomb stated that if the Illinois repre-
sentatives wished TO meet it was clearly
without the pale of the convention and
that any action they might take would
necessarily need the approval of the con-
vention. Mr.. Dalzell thereupon withdrew
his motion, having. as he stated secured
all he desired the practical consent of the
convention for a meeting of the miners and
operators in this State