Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-08
The Grievance Board Of Iowa Goal
Miners and Operators Adjourn.
MEET in OTTUMWA ABOUT MARCH |
At That Time the Convention of Min
ers and Operators Will Enter Into a
New Agreement to Take the Place
of the Des Moines Agreement.

adjourned last night terminated it's
business satisfactorily to both sides.
This board is the result of the Des
Moines agreement made last March
and adopted at Des Moines, and which
| became effective on the first of April.
Such questions as cannot be settled
at the mines between the employers
and operators are referred to the
board for adjustment.
| There were three quite important
questions that came before the board
and number of minor matters. One
of these questions came before the
board from Rathbun, in the southern
field. 1t was the question of the min
ers responsibility in taking care Of
the roof. The operators held that I'M
der the Des Moines agreement the
miners are to take care of roof trou-
| bles within twenty feet of the breast.
There was no difference on that point
but the miners claim that in excessive
falling of the roof that they were not
responsible and should not be Obliged
to clan it. 1.-THE board, however, fail
ed to determine last night concerning
this point and it was left with the I'M
derstanding that work will be contin-
ued as 1t has been done in the past up
to this time.
Another of the most important ques-
| tons came from Laddsdale, in this
| county. 1t was question of where
the coal became so low that it was
necessary to take up the bottom to
give the necessary height in the road
ways, who should do the work.? There
being no district scale for this class
of work the board was unable to set
the price therefor, but decided that
miners should take up such bottoms
to make the necessary height when re-
CURED by the operators, providing
that a satisfactory price should be
agreed upon between the operators
and the men at different places. This
means that in case the miners and OPP
orators at Laddsdale fail to agree up
on the price for such work that the
company viii be compelled to do the
work by their day men.
The third question of particular i'm
portance came from Markersville, in
the Des Moines district. 1t was a
question as to whether a company
could change any rules that in any
way effected the men during the life
of the Des Moines agreement. The
board held in this case that no rules,
affecting both parties could be chang
ed except by mutual consent.
The question of the reinstatement of
man at Eldon was in the hands of
President John P. Reese on behalf of
the miners. This question was left to
be settled among themselves at the
mine under certain conditions The
man had been discharged and the ques-
ton was whether he had been guilty
of anything meriting discharge. The
board did not want to make a ruling
on the question.
There were other minor matters
considered between President Reese
and the operators, which did not come
before the board. These lesser mat
ters are being adjusted from time to
time between Mr.. Reese and the oper-
ators.
All declare that the Des Moines
agreement has been very satisfactory
to both Sides land both sides have lived
up to the agreement in spirit and let
ter.
One of the most important matters
that came before the board was the de-
cision to meet in Ottumwa the last of
next February or the first of March
for the purpose of drawing up new
agreement to take the place of the Des
Moines agreement, which will expire
on the first of April next. That will
be very important meeting to mining
interests of the central west.
There were two operators present at
the meeting of the board from illinois,
One was G. H. Rathbone, of Streator,
who is the general manager of the
Rathbone mine in this state. The otn-
Ter gentleman was William Harkes of
Coal City, ILL., Mr. Harkes is the gen.
eral superintendent of the Big Joe
mine at Jerome.
The board meets only at the call of
the chairmen of the two sides. The
Officers of the two sides are as follows:
For the miners: John P. Reese. pres
ident; Edwin Perry. vice president:
John p White, secretary-treasurer; F.
T.. Romesberg, and L. P. Joyce. all of
whom were present at the meeting.
The operators officers of the board
are as follows: HI. L. Waterman, pres
ident: L. R. Rosenberg, secretary: T.
w. Carpenter. G. Morris and Alex. Orr.
The Headquarters of President
Paaea IF tho ynipars, orpapi1 q tion ic OF