Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-02-03
A VICTORY FOR LABOR.
Miners Are Joyful Over Result Of
Chicago Conference.
Advance of Ten Cents Il Granted
In Addition the Eight-Hour Day
and Uniform Days Wages
Are Secured.

Chicago, Jan. 27.-The interstate joint
convention of bituminous coal operators
and miners came to an end Wednesday
night. The miners are jubilant over
the result of their ten days session, for
it means for nearly 100000 soft-coal
miners an advance of ten cents per ton,
and uniform day of eight hours at u
uniform days wages. The operators
congratulated one another on the vic
tory over themselves. The following
resolutions were adopted with but two
dissenting votes:
The Agreement.
Resolved, That an advance of ten cents
per ton for mining screened coal take effect
in western Pennsylvania district, Hooking
Valley (O) district and Indiana bituminous
district on the first day of April, 1898; that
a relative run-mne price be determined in
all the districts named by a uniform fiat
or akron-shaped bar screen of " feet SUI
perficial area, 1A-inch space between bars:
that the price of run-mine coal in the Grape
Creek district and in the Indiana biiu-
minous district be 40 cents for same
district, based upon &c cents in the
pittsburgh thin vein district, and that In
the Hooking Valley and Indiana districts;
that on and after April /, 1888, an eight-hour
here represented; that uniform wages for
a days labor shall be paid the different
classes of labor in the field named; that
internal differences in any of the states,
both as to price and conditions, shall be
referred to the states affected"
The convention completed its work
by naming a scale committee to consist
of the national executive board of mine
workers, district presidents and sec
retaries. and two operators from each
state, to tabulate a scale and perfect all
arrangements for putting it into effect
on the day set. 1t was determined that
hereafter the miners and operators will
meet in January of each year to fix
scale for the IL months beginning
April 1. Pittsburgh, Pa, was selected
for the next annual joint convention,
which will meet on the third Tuesday
in January, 1899.
Forgot Their Differences.
The scene. at the close of the conven-
ton at $3.50 o'clock was one that no one
who witnessed it will forget. Operators
who counted their wealth in seven fig
ures and miners who had all their
earthly possessions in their trousers
pockets stood on the chairs in Associa-
ton hall, and with one voice gave three
cheers for the convention as whole,
for President Ratchford, of the miners,
organization, and w. II. Holcomb, who
presided over the nine days delibera
tons of the joint conference, and
threw their hats in the air while
they sang the first verse of "Amer-
ica." It was turbulent ending of
turbulent convention, but the last
scenes were those of joy, and, all re-
straint having been thrown off, the Sc
date operator and the jolly miner for
got all differences and became boys
again.
Put in Form of n Contract.
Chicago, Jan. 20. - The resolutions
and agreements adopted by the recent
miners conference held in this city
have been drawn up in the form of a
contract to hold good for one year from
April 1, 1898, and to be signed by oper-
ators in the competitive coal fields and
by the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea. The contract embraces run-of-
mine coal eight hour day ten cents cd