Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1900-10-27
THE BIG STRIKE SITUATION
IT rs NOT AT AN END YET.
Cost of Powder Is the Stumbling
Blackstone Companies Have Not
Posted Notices Yet--Higher Wages
Not to End Ii.

| Posted Notices Yet-Higher Wages
Not to End IL.
| Scranton, Pa, Oct. 2l.-The coal com.
panies in this region are posting notices
relative to the action taken at the Phil
adelphia conference of individual operators
and the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and
Iron company and the Lehigh Valley Coal
company, and with it an explanatory note
upon the powder reduction, showing its
figures in the 10 per cent wage increase.
National Organizer Dilcher says this does
not meet the demands of the miners con.
vention of a week ago, and until it does
there will be no end of the strike.
The Hillside Coal & Iron Company, OPP
Grating l3 collieries, later in the day post
ed the explanatory amendment to the
original notice modifying the offer to
make it extend beyond April /, as was
agreed would be done at the conference
last Thursday afternoon. They, however,
make no modification of the clause stipu-
lating that a decrease in the cost of powder
shall be counted as part of the increase
IN the wages of contract miners.
| The Delaware, Lackawanna L. Western
and the Delaware d Hudson companies,
, operating "A colieries, have not posted
the amendment, and they are not saying
they will.
! More Concessions Demanded.
Hazleton, Pa. Oct 2l.-President Mitch
ell of the United Mine-Workers union,
practically admitted to a representative of
of the Associated Press that if every oper-
ator in the region were to post notices
similar to those that are now being put
up by some of the mine owners, this action
would in itself probably not end the
strike
He was asked if the companies would
post such notices what his next step would
be. At first he hesitated, and then re-
piled:
"Under the conditions laid down by the
Scranton miners convention there could
be no partial resumption of work.
When it was suggested that his reply
did not answer the question, he said:
"Well, all l will say is that if all the
companies post notices it will clear up
matters considerably. 1t would remove
such obstacles as now present themselves.
This is the first public statement that
Mr.. Mitchell has made, bearing on a set
Element of the contest since the operators
at Scranton took their decided stand that
the reduction Of the powder price must be
considered in figuring out the advance in
wages.
Notices similar to those already posted
by individual operators in the region were
issued by three more companies. The only
large individual operators in tuis region
that have not posted what is known as
the second notice are Coke Bros. & Co.
G, B. Markle & Co., and Lehigh & Wilkes.
barre Coal company. There is much in
terest manifested here as to what steps
if any, the Markle firm will take. This
firm is the only one in this region which
has not consented to give its employees an
increase of any sort. The, members OF
the firm maintain strict silence
Wilkesbarre. Pa, Oct. 24.-Dscontent
among the striking miners of the Wyom-
ing valley is growing, and unless the strike
is settled soon the miners will be hard to
control. A majority of the men are will.
ing and anxious to go to work. The dis
content of the strikers was shown at the
works of the Lehigh & Wilkesbarre Coal
company's works in the eastern part of the
city. A gang of men were going to work
to screen coal ON the bank of the Empire
mine when they were set on by mob OF
rlen, women and boys. John j. OHara
foreman of the gang, was knocked down
with a stone and his nose was fractured
Several other workmen were slightly in
/ jured. During the melee several shots
were fired. The mob destroyed all the
tools of the workmen. The trouble took
place within the city limits, and a detach-
ment OF police was sent to the scene.
/ When they arrived they found large
crowd of women and boys, but very few
/ men. The local officers of the United
Mine-Workers say none Of their men en-
gagged in the fight. The police found an
cfiigy of OHara hanging to a telegraph
pole Owing to the trouble there was no
/ vork at the Stanton washery or on the
, bank operated by the same company Mon
day. 1t is said Foreman O'Hara made
himself Objectionable to the wives of some
OF the strikers by boasting that he would
work despite all opposition. This angered
/ the women and on several occasions they
pelted him with stones.