The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-10-04
THEY DON'T LIKE IT.
Miners Do Not Take Kindly to
Operators Terms.

noon decided 80 offer striking miners
of the Wyoming valley net advance of
ten per cent. on wages heretofore paid
and to take up with their employees any
grievances which they may have; pow
der will be sold to miners at $1.50 keg,
but the difference between this rate
and the old rate of $2.75 key shall be
taken into account in figuring the net
ten per cent. advance.
Won't Accept.
The strikers say that under no cir
cumstances will they accept the of
fer. They claim it is not as good an
offer as the Reading company made
to its men. The union is ignored, and
the net increase must come out of the
price of powder. Z. NJ. Palmer, chair
man of the press committee at Unit
ed Mine Workers headquarters, said:
"The men will not return to work un-
der such conditions. 1t is not fair
offer" The operators will make no
further move until they hear from
the men.
Strikers' Demands.
At United Mine Workers headquar-
tiers this statement was given out:
what we want is: /. A better enforce
ment of existing mine laws.
"2. To obtain that which is fully our own.
l. e., the value of labor actually performed
and hitherto taken from u.s.
80. To obtain the right to purchase our
implements of labor at fair market value
and escape from the compulsory rule which
forces us to pay the operators more than
twice what the same materials can be pur-
chased for at retail in the open market.
-, To allow a readustment of the wage
scale that will nearly conform to the nor
NAL conditions of the anthracite trade and
establish as nearly as practicable uni
form price for each class of work in and
around the Mines
The strikers say that until these
concessions are granted and the union
recognized they will not return to
work.
Small Operators Complain.
Scranton, Pa, Oct. 2.-Scrapton's in
dependent operators came back from
the Wilkesbarre conference with blood
in their eyes. They declare they will
not join in the proffer of ten per
cent. increase unless the coal-carrying
companies agree to reduce their tolls,
or, to be exact, allow them 65 per cent.
instead of 60 per cent. of the tide
water selling prices for their product.
They are not making ten per cent. on
their investments, they declare, and IL
they have to increase wages ten per
cent. it will practically wipe out their
margin of profit, and they might as
well close up their mines. One prom
inent mine operator said Monday night
that he hoped the miners would not
accept the offer. IF they do accept it,"
he continued, sit means that we small
| operators will have to grant the same
| concession TO our employees, and that
we cannot do unless the collaborating
companies allow us better rates" His
wish will be gratified if the sentiment
of the miners here is criterion. They
are in such high fettle over their vic
tory that they are now insisting on
general arbitration in addition to
ten per cent. increase, and as the OPP
orators offer does not contemplate a
general arbitration the chances are
that it will have to be revised if it is
accepted.
Totally Ignored.
Hazleton, Pa, Oct. 2.-Although the
labor leaders positively said they did
not fear break in the ranks of the
anthracite coal strikers, theywere new
| ertheless pleased to learn that the ten
per cent. advance granted by the Phil
adelphia & Reading Coal & Iron COM
pauy in the Schuylkiil valley was to-
tally ignored by the striking mine
| workers Monday. 1t was predicted that
many of the strikers would return to
| work under the belief that the ten per
| cent. increase would be the limit of the
operators concessions, but the una
nimity of the men in deciding to stand
out for further advance caused many
| remarks of surprise.
1t was expected in some quarters
that Monday would see the turning
point in the strike, but nothing came
| to the surface that would lead to any in
dication of the strike nearing an end
Since the operators began TO hold con-
| ferences President Mitchell is receiv-
| ing more information than formerly
and giving out less. That he knows
more about the situation than he cares
to tell is hardly doubted by anyone.
He has practically admitted that he re-
| ceives advices from New York as to the
| doings of the operators. There still is
lack of anything tangible on which
to base the report of an immediate set
Element. President Mitchell continues
to deny that he knows anything about
it. The strike situation in the Lehigh
valley showed a change in favor of the
men. Several hundred men quit work
at the Calvin Pardee mines at Lattimer
as the result of persuasion on the part
OF 400 marching strikers, and at Oneida
and Cranberry the coal companies lost
additional men. No collieries were
closed down in this region Monday.
| Miners WON'T Resume.
Hazleton, Pa, Oct. 2.--Notices of the
increase in wages and the reduction
in the price of powder decided upon
by the operators at Wilkesbarre to-
day were posted Monday night at all
the collieries in the Lehigh region.
President Mitchell, when shown copy
! of the notice, declined to say any
| thing at this time, but intimated that
he might outline his position at the
Wilkesbarre mass meeting to-day. He
added, however, that tnere would be
no resumption of work until a con-
yention of the anthracite miners had
been called and the proposition con-
sidered.