Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-24
MINERS AND OPERATORS MEET
Fixing the Scale for the Coming
Ncnr Most Difficult
Matter.

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 2S.-The interstat
conference of United Mine Workers and cca
operators was called this morning wifi
about 175 prominent operators from OhIo
Illinois, Pennsylvania, Iowa Indiana an
| Michigan present. The attendance is th
most representative ever held The miner
have over 500 representatives in the ioin
conference, which, it is predicted. will las
until the middle of next week The routin,
o. business provides for scale committee
! This committee will wrestle with the seal,
problem and the main conference will ad.
journ from day to day until the scale com.
nittee agrees upon a report. --s
The Illinois operators are at ioggersheads
among themselves. The radicals do mi
want to make advances to the miners TIL,
| Ohio operators appear to be most liberal jr
their offers, it being commonly understood
that they Will give lO-cent advance on tn,
| jump.
Ihe Michigan operators have contracts
! "hlch run until June | and the mine work
ers decided not to break those "individuaI
contracts, but will try ana get concession,
for the two months between the expiration
o. the Interstate agreement, April l, and the
expiration Of the Michigan contracts.
There will be a bitter fight over the screen
question. The miners declare that the on-
orators must declare their intentions first
The big anthracite strike talked of in
central Pennsylvania is off. National Board
Member Benjamin James of Jeanesvile. Pa
today said: president Mitchell and I
agreed that it would be the height of folly
to order a strike now"
The joint conference did not convene until
II o'clock when a surprise was sprung in
the selection Of chairman. 1t was thought
Dempster of Pittsburg would have the honor
but on motion of President Mitchell of the
miners Walter S. Boyle of the Crescent Coal
Mining company of Chicago was elected to
preside.
John V. Reese, miner from Iowa. wanted
to know when the Iowa operators would be
accorded representation. Chairman Boyle
said that he did not think he could recognize
the Iowa operators until an organization has
been effected and the credental committee
reported.
On motion of President Mitchell the con-
ference was adjourned to 10 a m. tomorrow.
The delegates from Ohio, West Virginia
and Indiana met tonight and selected COM
mittees to represent them in the Joint scale
conference tomorrow. There were no OPP
orators from the state of Iowa, but John
+. Ream, the state president, was chosen
to represent that state, The committee on
has decided adversely TO the
seating of a member from that state.
The following we're elected as delegates |
to the American Federation OF Labor: John !
w. c. Pearce, Patrick Dolan and |
John l.. Hunter.
On the second ballot for vice president !
Reese and Lewis are leading. The vote is
still being counted and at II o'clock there
was whisper that Lewis had been elected.
ba tn pN tI, Ia.
for outside laborers made the following re-
port to the miners convention:
For trmmers and bumpers, sl.75 per day
'or boys, IA to 16 years OF age $135; black
3miths, $3.50; fremen, s1.75; blacksmith
helpers, s1,75; incline runners $l.75, the
price paid engineers in Illinois to be the
governing price in all competitive fields
This scale is based on working day OF
light hours.