Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-01-27
Got Ten Cents Advance and
Eighr-Eour Day.
JUBILANT OVER TUE RESULT.
Only Two Dissenting Votes to the Adop-
tion of the Report of the Scale Com
mittee at the Chicago Conferenee-0ther
Propositions Adopted.

END. Inc miners We're JuDlldnJ over
the results Of their ten-days' session,
for 1t means to nearly 600 soft coal
miners an advance of 10 cents per ton
and a uniform day of eight hours at
uniform day wages. And the operators
congratulated one another with vic
tory over themselves.
The following are the resolutions
adopted with but two dissenting votes:
Resolved That an advance OF ten
cents per ton for mining screened coal
take effect ~ The Western Pennsylvania
district, Hooking valley Ohio district
aud fndtana bituminou5 district, the first
day Of April 1898, and that Il relative
run of mine price be determined in all
the districts named by uniform fiat or
Akron shaped bar screen of ~ feet SUI
perficial ares. one and one-fourth inch
space between the bars; that the price
Of run Of laine coal in Grape Creek dis
trict and in tire Indiana bituminous dis
trict be 10 cents per ton for the same
district, based upon GO cents in Pitts
burg thin-vein district and that in Hook
ing valley and Indiana; and that on and
after April l. 1898, the eight-hour day
shall be in effect in all districts here
represented; that uniform wages for day
labor shall be paid the different classes
of labor in the field named; and Nhat in
ternal differences in any of the states,
both as to price and conditions, shall be
referred to the states effected; that we
further agree to the of the diamond
bar screen of present pattern in the
block district of Indiana, with the priv
ilege of run of mine, may be desired
by the market conditions.
The convention completed it's work
by naming a scale committee, to con-
sist of the national executive board of
the mine workers, the district presi-
dents and secretaries and two operators
from each state, to tabulate the scale
and perfect all the arrangements for
putting it into effect on the date set. It
was determined that hereafter the min
ers and operators will meet i'll January
each year, to fix scale for the IL
months beginning April 1. Pittsburg
was selected for the next annual joint
convention, which will meet on the
third Tuesday of January, 1899
When the scale committees final re-
port, as outlined above, was presented,
with it came the protests of two Hook
..
and Ellsworth. They insisted upon
differential being established between
their scale and that of the thin vein of
Pennsylvania, and quoted masses of
statistics to show that if the plan were
put into operation Hooking Valley
mines would be compelled to close down
in face Of competition from Pittsburg
and West Virginia. Operator Robbins
of Pennsylvania finally proposed that
the question of differential in favor of
the Hooking Valley district be left to
arbitration. This was at once accepted
by the Hooking Valley operators, but
brought out a demand from operators of
Ohio outside the Hooking Valley that
they be included in the arbitration and
be allowed differential as well.
A roll call was ordered on the resolu-
ton. 1t resulted: Yeas, 43; nays, 2,
as follows: Illinois, operators, yeas;
miners, yeas Ohio, operators, 2 yeas
and 2 nays; miners, yeas. Pennsyl-
vania, operators, yeas; miners, 2 yeas.
West Virginia, miners, yeas.
Mr.. Morton of Ohio, i'll casting the
two negatives votes, explained that they
were against the 66-cent rate for Hook
ing Valley. Mr.. Chapman, in casting
two votes yea, explained that he cast
them for the balance of Ohio, except
Guernsey county. In order to ascertain
the standing of Guernsey county opera
tors, President Ratchford called for a
vote from them. This plainly meant
that if it became necessary to tie up the
Hooking Valley mines, Guernsey county
was to be included if they vote nay.
After short conference, the GUERNSEY
county men voted for the resolution.
President Ratchford then moved that
the majority vote ON the resolution be
made the sense of the convention by
viva voce vote. The motion carried
unanimously and the convention APP
plauded for several minutes President
Ratchford addressed the convention
briefly, urging the operators of Hooking
valley and Pennsylvania to get together
and adjust their differences so that on
April | they would be able to give their
miners the advance and better hours
which would then become effective else
where, and he promised to use his best
endeayors to bring them together.
Operator Dalzel of Illinois put a
motion that the scale adopted be in
effect from April /, 1898, to April /,
1899, and that the miners and operators
meet IN joint conference in January,
1899, to adopt a scale for the rate of
mining for the ensuing year.
The arrangement of the state scales
was then discussed. President Ratch-
ford explained that the adjustment of
the day rate would be arranged by each
state, the day. men to have an advance
in ratio with the mining rate, eight
hours labor with eight hours pay, 4S
hours labor per week.