Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-19
The STRIKE SETTLEMENT
SEEMS TO Be DELAYED
BY THE INsISTENCE OF THE OPER-
ATORS ON CONSIDERING
POWDER REDUCTION
as A PART OF THE ADVANCE.
40 MOVE MADE BY THE OFFICERS
or THE UNITED NINE WORK
ERS YESTERDAY.

HAZLETON, Pa, October IS.-As far
as ending the coal miners strike is con-
cerned not move in that direction was
made by the United Mine Workers off,
cials today President Mitchell is alb
solutely silent on all questions pertain
ing to the termination of the contest,
and it is not believed that he will have
anything to do on the subject till the
meeting for the national executive
beard for the purpose Of considering
the question of formal declaration
calling the strike off. When that shall
be depends, it is understood, entirely
upon the operators.
The feeling is prevalent here to-
night that the decision of the opera
tors meeting at Scranton to-day to
Insist that the reduction in the price of
powder must be taken into considera-
ton in determining the ten per cent.
increase in wages, has complicated
matters somewhat. Further delay in
reaching an amicable adjustment of
the trouble is now feared. The stu
alton otherwise is precisely the same
as that which obtained when the first
notices of the coal companies were
posted on October Sd. Then, as now,
he Reading company was the first to
post notice of an advance in wages,
and was quickly followed by other large
coal companies and nearly all the
smaller individual operators, after
which Mr.. Mitchell issued the call for
the Scranton convention.
Mr.. Mitchell is extremely reticent. 1t
is supposed he dfBires to hear from the
district officers before making any pub
lie expressions as to the probability of
an early resumption of work.
A meeting of union mine workers
was held here today and arrangements
were made for holding labor demon
stration in this city next Monday.
The feature of the demonstration will
be parade, followed by mass meet
ing, at which President Mitchell will be
the principal speaker. The mayor OF
this city, who refused to allow the min
ers to parade two weeks ago, has grant
ed permission for the demonstration
next week.
SCRANTON, Pa, October 1S.-Repre-
sentatives of nearly all the big coal COM
pantes conferred to-day and made an
agreement TO amend the notices already
posted by attaching the following:
In further explanation of the above
notice, this company desires to say that it
is its intention to pay the advance in
wages above noted until April l. 1901 and
thereafter until further notice"
National President Mitchell. District
President Nichols, District Secretary John
I. Dempsey and National Organizer Fred
Dicher of the United Mine Workers. have
all been quoted as saying that the resolu-
tons Of the Scranton convention contem-
plated straight advance of 10 per cent.
for all parts of the region, and that the
matter of having this increase made up
in part out Of a decrease of powder in the
upper regions where powder is sold for
81, 10 key, was not to be agreed to.
The powder question, they one and all
said, was left out of the present negotia-
tons, with the understanding that il
should form one of the grievances to be
adjusted in the conferences which the offer
says the operators agree to have with
their men to take up any grievances they
may have"
President Mitchell, when informed by
telephone of the action of the operators,
stated that he would have TO decline to
discuss its probable effect regarding a set
uement until he had given the matter
careful consideration. He would not say
whether or not it would be possible to
deal with the difficulty without calling
another convention.