The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-27
THE MINERS SCALE


Gone to Work at Ten Cents Ad-
vance.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, Jan. 2s.-The
feeling between the miners and the
operators is not cordial. The breach
seems to widen every hour. The action
of the miners convention in deciding 70
break up tho continuous Joint scs-
SION plan and have a sine die adiourn-
meat Of ths convention. was extremely
radical. "Gag rule" ana the exclusion
OF the Iowa operators who have de-
parted in disgust, are given as the rea-
sons for forcing sine die adjourn
ment. The executive session Of the
miners this morning, as another indie
cation that they are determined to keep
secret their wage scale demands, and
compel the operators TO show their
hand and strength.
Yesterday the operators Of Ohio, Illi-
nols, Indiana and Pennsylvania are rec
ported to have voted as a unit to pre-
vent an, agreement that win bind the
operators OF the four states compact to
adopt the run of the mine System-So
strenuously demanded by the miners
end Of the scale committee.
AS It takes an unanimous vote to
bind scale agreement trouble Is ex-
pected and long debate when the scale
committee reports to the Joint confer
ence.
Some operators are predicting a dead
lock.
Several Ohio operators are willing to
give ten cents, but the majority arc
against this. Illinois operators are de-
termined not to grant the miners de-
mands.
Predictions of general strike on the
part of the United Mine Workers are
freely made. II general suspension i9
ordered 1t viii have to come from thu
natIonal board, which will hold ses-
sion after the adjournment Of the Joint
conference.
West virginia's Position.
The following was issued to-day:
.In the Joint conference, F. L. Rob-
bins, Pittsburgh operator, made a
statement regarding the position OF
West Virginia He said that the United
Mine Workers of the state had not kept
their promises. There was but ono
mine in the Kanawha valley paying 2
cents per bushel for mining. The other
mines are paying 2A and "a cents q
bushel for mining, where screens are
used. Where the run Of mine system
prevails the prices are from 25 to 10
cents per ton. In the fourth pool Of the
Pittsburgh district operators arc pay-
ing but 2 cents per bushel for screen
mined coal. This low priced mining In
the pittsburgh district has cut the
West Virginia miner down. EveEy time
the United Mine Workers make an eff
fort to get an advance the operators
refer US to the low priced mining OF the
Pittsburgh field.
In West Virginia the average price
paid day laborers is Sc 10 for machine
runners; 81 65 is the average for help
ers: loading per ton is S5 cents where
screens are used. We expect an adj
vance on April LIST. The United Mine
Workers representation In West Vir-
ginla is larger than appears. learned
to-day that the miners at Tyrconnell'
Falrmont district, have gone on
strike. They wanted an advance an
wages and other concessions. ! regret
their hasty action, We expect to send
S. G. Hairless, president Of District No.
II. there as soon as he can set away
from the indianapolis conference we
did have $4,000 miners in West Virginia
but many Of them have gone to other
states. We have 1900 left. We have
1000 United Mine Workers. While the
operators have refused to attend the
interstate conference, those in the New
River sub-district have met with US and
in the future we expect that large
number of the operators viii partici-
pate in the conference plan Of settling
prices"
(sIgned)
.HEERY STEPHENSON.
.'Natlonal Board Member United Mine
Workers of America"
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 2s,-There was
no session of the Joint scale committee
of the miners and operators this morn
ing. The committee adjourned last
night to permit the miners to hold an
executive session this morning to dis
cuss district dIftcrentials.
The executive session adjourned at
70 o'clock. The radical element favored
holding out for twenty cents increase
and the run Of mine. with Nat diIcr.
en,ial OF seven cents between hand ana
machine mining,
There was an animated debate the
sentiment being divided
The miners viii not finally adjourn
untli after the conference quits
president Hairless, Of district No H.
West virginia. got word to-dsy that
the miners who struck at Tyree Con-
nen. the Fairmont region, that state
wednesday. have gone back 10 work,
having serufsd ten ctnls advance sew
eral mircs were affected,
weather Forecast for To-day.
ro. WA, virginia. western Ptnusylva.