Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-10-15
COLLIERIES TO Be
AT WORK SOON.
Miners Not Altogether Satisfied
With the Terms offered
ARBITRATION NAY SETTLE.
gun There May be seed for Future
TTouble-A1 Uncertainty Amount
Of Increase In Wages

Pottsville. Pa, oct. 1.-THE Schuyl-
kin delegates TO the Scranton conyen-
ton have returned and the prevailing
impression Is that the collieries viii
soon be at work, provided the opera
tors agree to the terms Of that body.
Among the rank and file there Is an
inclination to accept the decision Of the
convention. 1t IS generally taken as
fact here, that the operators in the
upper anthracite belt viii agree 70 the
offer Of the convention. and that the
miners there are eager to 80 back to
work at the advance which their EN-
ployes are willing to pay.
In the schulykill region, 1t win be re-
u.embered. the men went out largely
ON a sympathetic strike and II Is be-
leyed they will follow the miners OF the
upuer belt back TO work, though many
ne dissatisfied. because, according to
their reckoning, IN accepting the 10 per
cent advance they are not getting all
they are fighting for. The convention
demanded the abolition Of the sliding
scale by which the Reading company
Is 1000 miners have always been PAID
This scale was fixed according 10 the
price of coal at Port Carbon and was
always a small percentage either above
or below the $3.50 basis, The last scale
fixed their wages 8 per cent above the
$3.50 basis. and some miners now ar
que that IN reality they VIII be getting
only Z per cent advance.
l6 PER CENT INCREASE.
In contradiction 10 this, the leaders
say that they viii get 10 per cent net
or equal TO 10 per cent above the basis
on the even $3.50 basis, outside labor
ers will be paid 500 a week, inside
laboTers 5000 and miners Sl2 week.
Ii the company agrees to the conyen-
TONS offer TO do away with the sliding
scale then the men would be paid eN-
actly 10 DER cent above these amounts.
There are many things left unsettled
that no doubt Will lead 10 further con-
tenu0ns while these questions are being
arbitration In the next few days. For
instance. the Reading company has
been charging $3.50 a keg for powder
while IN the upper region the price has
been S27j. The convention said nothing
about this and IN the Schuylkill region
this commodity may be increased in
price TO make up for the 10 per cent in
crease The Reading officials feel that
they have been Disseminated against
by the settlement proposed by the
Scranton convention.
ALLIs UNCERTAINTY YET.
New York. oct. 15.--whether or not
the demand made by the miners will be
granted by the operators was ques-
ton upon which definite information
was not Obtainable in this city yester-
day. Efforts were made to see ". II.
Truesdale. president Of the Delaware,
LaCkaWauna and Western railroad; II.
3. Thomas, president of the Erie rail-
road, and Alfred Walter, president Of
the Lehigh Valley, but reporters who
visited their homes were Informed that
all three Of them were away from town.
The coincidence Of their absence from
the city upon the same day led TO the
presumption that they had been called
away 20 attend some conference TO con-
slider the mems demands. but other Of
ficials OF the companies who We're seen
professed to have no knowledge OF the
holding OF any meeting by the heads
Of the coal carrying railroads, The
three companies referred to viii be
largely concerned In any decision that
may be reached as 10 the acceptance
or refusal Of the terms formulated by
the strikers. Another dominant factor
IN the deliberations Of the operators
who control the situation would be r,
VI. Oliphant, president Of the Della.
ware and Hudson Coal company, bat he
81 lying seriously IN az his home In this
city and can take no part in the con-
troyersy.
ATTITUDE OF RAILWAYS,
Some Of the individual operators who
were seen said that they had no idea Of
what attitude the railroads would take,
but they agreed that whatever action
was determined upon by the coal carry
ing roads would OF necessity receive the
scquiescence Of the individual own
ers. More than one Of the Independent
operators expressed the opinion that
the railroads would not agree 70 arbi-
tratiOn iuasmuch as such an agreement |
would be onesided In the face Of the
readiness which the men had manifest
ed as shown In the instance Of the em-
ployes Of the Marke mine 10 dlsre-
gard, when II suited their purposes con- |
tracts which provided for the settle |
meut Of disputes by arbitration.
VIEW OF OPERATORS.
"Nor do l think" one Of the indie
pendent operators said in discussing the |
situation that the mine-0Wners viii |
consent 20 bind themselves TO pay so |
large an increase until April /, when |
The warm weather and the falling of |
IN the demand for coal which always |
occurs In the spring, might very greatly |
reduce prices.
while I do not think that the de-
mand 10 abolish the sliding scale would |
in Itself be rejected by the operators n |
that had been the only additional con-
eession asked for, / am inclined TO be-
heNe that the answer Of the railroads |
70 the men Will be that they have made
their ofer and win not go beyond a.
or In other Words tne miners must
either be contented with the prohered |
advance Of 10 per cent in wages or re-
main idle