Omaha daily bee., 1898-01-18
MINERS AND OPERATORS CONFER,
VIII Attempt to Formulate n Scale
for the Ncnr ISDS


for the Year 1SOS
CHICAGO, Jan. IA joint convention oil
bituminous coal operators aud miners met
in the city today for the purpose of adjust
ing wage scale for 1895 Five hundred
operators and miners, representing western
Pennsylvania, West Virginia. Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois, were present Work was rather
SLOW owing to the fact that none of the
delegations were thoroughly organized.
After adopting the rules committee report,
recommending four votes for each state and
q scale committee OF four miners and the
same number of operators from each state,
the convention adjourned until tomorrow to
permit organization of the delegations.
Permanent organization was effected
by the selection of w. II. Hol-
comb of Chicago as chairman, and two
secretariesF. II. Brooks of Ohio and W. c.
Pearce of Chicago, the former representing
the miners and the latter the operators. A
committee on credentials was selected con-
sisting of one miner and one operator from
each state. The selection of a committee on
rules and regulations and order of business
aroused considerable discussion, but was
finally made up on the basis of one miner
and two operators from each state, with
equal voting powers.
The convention then took recess until
2:30 o'clock when the committee will re-
port. About 500 are in attendance.
The principal point at issue is the sweep
ing demand OF the miders foe the universal
adoption of tho gross weight" system and
the abandonment OF screens" Then the
miners would bo paid for screenings as well
as lump coal. The change will TevOlutionze
the wage scale and will be vigorously com
bated by the operators. West Virginia oper-
atocs have as yet been unrepresented in the
convention
At the afternoon session the committee
or credentials reported POI operators in at
tendance as follows: Ohio 46; Indiana
ii; Illinois, 92 Pennsylvania, ~. The
miners numbered 272, as follows: Illinois
III; Ohio, SO; Pennsylvania 40; Indiana, 27
West Virginia, II. The report was then
adopted and pending the arrival of the rules
committee Colonel William r. Morrison of
Illinois addressed the meeting briefly, rec
ommending a peaCeable settlement of all
differences.
The rules committee report was then pre-
scented and brought out the first heated dis
cussion. 1t recommended that each state
be allowed the same number of votes, four
each, and that the scale committee be COM
posed of four miners and four operators
from each state, with the exception of llli-
nois, which should have five delegates but
only four votes. This basis of representa-
ton was not agreeable to the Illinois con-
tingent and a minority report was pre-
sented, recommending one vote to each
100000 tons, based upon the output of
1896.
Operator Traier of Illinois, in speaking
for the latter report, declared it to be the
only just basis, and cited the house of rep
resentatives as a fair example. Chairman
Zerbe of the rules committee defended the
report on the ground that representation on
the tonnage basis was a dangerous prece-
dent and would result in shutting out small
producers. The majority report was then
adopted, but several unavailing attempts
were made to have the vote reconsidered.
The selection of the scale committee was
next taken up, each state to select its own
delegates On demand for a roll call by
states the fact was developed that only one
or two delegations were organized and pro
ceodings were blocked. An adjournment
was therefore taken until tomorrow for the
purpose of allowing the state delegations
to organize Before adjournment the West
Virginia delegation of miners was seated
with q voice in the convention, but with
out a vote.