The age-herald., 1899-06-21
MINERS WANT X PERMANENT PAY DAY And a Limit of Eight Hours to
 the Working Day. THE RIGHT TO BUY SUPPLIES At Stores Other Than Those Run by the Company is Demanded-The
 Wage Scale Committee
 May Report Today
THE RIGHT TO BUY SUPPLIES

at it's yesterdays meeting It was de- cided to ask the mine operators for:
 .s % aa ' " A stipulated payday in each month. : A limit of eight hours to the working * day. 4 The right to buy supplies wherever the miners choose
 All dues to the miners union to be checked off at the companyS office. All union men, without their cards, from the local they have just left, must pay $:5 initiation fee before they can be- come members of another local. It was the sense of the convention that the present plan of endorsing can ddates for mine inspector be done away with, and vote taken instead
 %s - The most important business, in fact, the only business transacted by the convention Of District 20, United Mine Workers of America yesterday, was the rejection or adoption of the various resolutions re- ported by the committee on resolutions. The committee was not ready to report during the meeting. and in the meantime the convention adjourned from time to | time, having nothing to do but wait for the | committee to finish its work. The first | thing in the afternoon sesion, the commit | tee made it's report, which was discussed | and voted on during the remainder of the afternoon. The discussion was not eX- citing as might have been expected, and all differences were amicably settled This committee handled all questions which had been brought before the convention. ex- cept the matter of the wage scale. The full text of the resolutions as accepted or re-
 
 accepted are practically as follows: Tie Various Resolutions All of the mine operators in the district will be asked to name stipulated payday in each month on which the miners are to receive their wages At present, some of the mines have no specified time for pay ing off and the miners are kept in uncer- tainty until the last minute.
 The operators will also be asked to en- force a rule of eight working hours a day in the mines. This is already done in some of them, but in others the men are per mitted to work as long as they please twelve to fourteen hours in some of them.
 The convention decided that the miners should be permitted to purchase their sup plies, such as tools, explosives etc., where ticy pItdSSui anu HOt pO IOllPCiASo bO 5Cl them from the company.
 It was decided to put all union men in the district on the same footing as regards the payment of their fees and dues to the union, whether all of the men in the mine belong to union of not All of the com panies will be asked to check off and hold back these fees and dues out of the union mems wages
 Hereafter all union men who come from | other parts of the country to Alabama or who remove from one local to another in the state must have their membership cards from the secretary of the local which they they have just left; otherwise they will be required to pay s5 initiation fee, just as though they were new members entirely. A resolution to the effect that the miners | of the district should vote by ballot for the | miner when they wished to endorse for a | position as one of the state mine inspectors | was indorsed by the convention, but re- | ferred to the executive board, which will | make a report on it at the annual conven- | tion of the district next December. The | idea with the delegates seemed to be that the present system of signing petitions for l these candidates who were applying for va-  the miners should vote by ballot for the miner of their preference for this position. Just what kind of plan will be formulated | has been left to the executive board. Even- tually. it is thought, the legislature will be asked to make the offices of mine inspec- tors elective by the people of the state and not an appointve office, as at present. The miners also want the inspectors required to | stand an examination, just as the mine | bosses are at present.
 It is possible that the committee may sub init some more resolutions before the con- vention adjourns.
 That Soa'e Committed The all important committee on the scale of wages has been hard at work for two days but seem to be nearing a conclusion now At first it is said that their sessions were rather stormy, but now they are working very harmoniously. What they have done or just what they will recon- mend nobody knows. They have an- nounced, however, that in all probability they will be ready to report this morning at 10 o'clock.
 Ii this is done, President Young statel last night that he thought that the discus 
 longer than this afternoon, in which case committee would be appointed at once to extend formal invitations to the mine operators to be present at the session to- morrow morning, when the question will be discussed from both standoints, and tho whole matter settled quickly and as amicably as possible.
 Had No Authority
 On Monday afternoon two negro miners belonging to the union at Carbon, Indian Territory, appeared before the convention asking for money to assist their local in carrying on their strike at that place. It was decided that these men had no au- thority to solicit aid for their local alone, as there are about twenty mines in the striking district, and already appeals have been sent out by General Secretary Brack- man, Fort Smith, Ark. asking for assist ance for the whole district. All contribu- lions should be sent to him, and not to the