Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-02-22
The Miners and the Operators
Seem Unlikely to
Agree.
RUPTURE is PROBABLE.
The Operators Insist That They Know
What the Miners Demand VIII Be-
Miners Strengthened by the he.
suit OF Illinois Conference,

Des Moines, Feb. 22.-Time adds I'd
the prospects of "a serious rupture be-
tween the Mine Workers and the Iowa /
Operators association at the joint con-
ference to be held in Des Moines next
week to fix the scale for mining in
1900.
The miners insist that the scale com4
mlttee has not determined upon the
character of. the demands to be made.
but the operators say that their in-
formation received from persons who
were in the meetings in this city last
week and who they dignity by the term
spies is to the effect that the con-
vention practically instructed the scale
committee to make a demand for a CO.
cent mine run scale, an advance Of 10
cents over the scale last year. Their
correspondence since this time indicates
thai this is the concensus of opion in
the state and that everywhere it is
evident the miners are preparing to
make this demand. Since the adiourn-
ment of the miners meeting in this
city the Illinois joint conference has
been held, at which the miners were
successful in securing 9-cent advance
on the mine run basis, and this has
strengthened. THE determination of the
Iowa miners, to try to enforce similar
advance. They say that the Iowa oper-
ators forced postponement of the
| joint conference because of desire to
await the action of the Illinois con-
ference, and believe they ought now
TO be bound largely by that action.
They charge that the operators when
| they asked for a postponement of the
conference practically promised that
the advance in the Iowa scale
would correspond with that in the Illf-
nois field
The operators, despite the action in
Illinois, are as hostile as ever to the
proposition to place the business on a
mine run basis. A great deal of CORE
spondence has been indulged in in the
past few days relative to the matter
and it is claimed by local operators that
every company and every operator in
Iowa is pledged to do all in his power
to defeat mine run basis. The OBJ
objections urged are the same as have
! heretofore been published-that the
advance from so to go cents would be a
20 per cent advance on its face and that
| the loss of marketable coal as result
of abandoning screens would be enough
to bring the total of the advance to OPP
orators up 10 80 per cent On the other
hand, the operators say that their cor
respondents, with but a few eXcep-
| tions in the Mahaska and Missouri
fields. indicate a willingness to concede
an advance OF from ) to / cents ton
on a screen basis. bringing the price
in shipping mines up to 90 cents a ton
for the year and in local mines to 95
cents ton.
Indications now are that every coal
company OF consequence in Iowa and
Northern Missouri will be represented
! in the meeting 10 be held here February
26-2T, by both operators ano men. and
that the conference Will be one of the
largest in the history of the western
coal trade. 1t is evidently the present
plan of the coal men to refer matters
very largely to committees, but to re-
quire the committees to report all
(, propositions to full meeting of the op-
operators TO be passed upon before act
ing in the name of the operators. the
majority of the operators to govern in
all cases.
The operators will be in Des Moines
as early as Sunday night and will eau
Gus the next morning and fully outline
a policy before meeting with the
miners
There is little doub1 but the operators
will refuse to pay mine run scale con-
templaring an8advance over the present
scale, and that they will close down
their mines if it is sought to enforce
| it. But in the same connections the
operators say that they will not resort
| to this except as an extreme measure,
and that before ordering lockout they
will most certainly offer to compromise
on an advance in the screen scale. &