Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-13
Agreement Reached at Last by the
Miners and Operators.
THE MINERS THINK IT is A VICTORY
Miners Accept Operators Ofter of Ten
Cents Increase, Provided Inequal-
lilies Are Adjusted by the
Committee

cepted the scale proposed by the oper-
afors yesterday, provided the other
differences and inequalities which exist
can be settled. The whole matter was
referred back to the scale committee
Tor adjustment, and if an agreement
is reached the whole contract will be
finally referred to the joint confer
ence for adoption. 1t will take several
days to adjust the remaining points
which are in controversy, and the con-
tract will probably not be in. shape to
be signed before next week.
The miners have really won victo-
ry, and openly claim that even tho the
offer of the operators which they have
accepted is five cents less than the ul-
timatum which they issued day before
yesterday that by accepting it they
have practically gained the 20 per cent
increase which they at first demanded.
The only thing the miners have not
gained in the conference is the adop-
|tion< of the mine run basis, but the
uniform screen which they have secur-
ed practically does away with their
objections to the screen.
Neither the uniform screen nor the
presenl scale has been adopted, the
matter now resting upon whether or:
not the inequalities which the miners
now claim exist in dead work, day la
Dor, and the difference between pick
and machine mining are adjusted. The
operators claim that the uniform.
screen agreed upon by the joint scale
committee is practically an increase of
10 per cent in that the smaller screen
retains that percentage of the whole
coal which has formerly passed thru
and for which the miners receive no
pay. On the other hand the miners
say that the uniform screen will only
mean an increase of, 4 per cent. The
operators after making their first
|scale public made concession of 10
per cent over the first offer, which in
the Polk county district meant amin
crease of eight cents per ton. the con-
tract price being so cents, which was
the price which the operators offered
to pay during the ensuing year. The
miners refused this offer point blank
and made a demand for a straight In
crease of Is cents per ton,which would
increase the mining price in the Polk
district to 95 cents. This demand was
met by an offer from the operators to
pay 10 cents per ton straight over
their first offer, or 80 cents in the Polk
district, and this is the scale which
the miners have agreed to accept pro-
vided the other differences can be adj
tjusted. The joint conference adjourn
ed at noon yesterday, the miners go
ing into session to discuss the 10 cent
increase of the operators A number
of the miners were in favor of holding
out for the additional cents which
they demanded, the Boone operators
having declared that they would not
take less than $1.O5, while the scale
provides for 81. The southern district
operators were not satisfied with the
scale, but after spending nearly the
entire afternoon in discussing the
matter, the miners decided that the
offer meant practically what they had
originally demanded, providing the un-
form screen was adopted, and the day
wages, dead work, and differentials in
machine and pick mining settled.
From Is to 20 Per Cent.
Taking the Polk district for instance,
the increase of 10 cents per ton means
an increase of 1914 per cent, which with
the per cent increase makes 161h per
cent, or only about S per cent less
than the first scale.
After hearing the recommendation
of the miners this morning that the
scale be accepted the joint conference
adjourned and the scale committee
again went into session. :ts
One other thing which the miners
do not like is the clause in the present
contracts which abrogates the legal
rights of the miners. n
The miners are very much pleased
over the outcome and believe now that
the matter will all be arranged with
out further difficulty, altho it will still
take several days. In the meantime
most of the miners will remain in the
city and await DEVELOPMENTS. US
The Centerville operators have not
yet decided whether they will pay the
present scale for the balance of the.
month OF March, but it is probable
that the mines in the district will not
open until April ], when the new scale
goes into effect, the intervening time
being used in making repairs in the!
mines.
The scale which the miners offered
yesterday and which the miners have
agreed to accept is given below. In
the Centerville district an agreement
was made concerning the mine run.
basis, and those mines which desire
to pay on the mine run basis will meet
with the u. nj. of A. and arrange the
schedule before the 18th of April.
'rhe Scale.
First district-Block coal, 95 cents.
Second and third districts, including
Lucas, Monroe, Marion, Wapello, Ma
haska and Keokuk counties Mine run,
Sc 2-3 cents; block coal, IS cents.
Fourth district-Jasper county thick
vein, mine run, 60 cents; block coal, 90
cents; thin vein, mine run, ~ cents;
lump coal, 80 cents. Polk county mine
run, 60 cents; lump coal, 80 cents.
Fifth district-Boone, lump, 81;
Fraser, SO cents. Webster county hard
coal mine run, 65 cents; lump coal, 95
cents; soft coal, mine run, so cents.
Lehigh mine run, So cents; lump, 81.
Arbor Day In Santiago.
Santiago, March 12.-Arbor day was
as usual appropriately celebrated TO
day. This is the third observance %
/ -, = u l. 4, =