The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-03
Joint Convention Decided Not to At
tempt to Settle Purely Local Diff
ferences I'm Any State.
BIGGEST ADVANCE EVER KNOWN
EIGHTY CENTS A TON THE PRICE
FOR PICK-MINED SCREENED COAL.
Neither Side Got What 1t Asked for.
but Say 1t Was the Best Set
Element Possible.
The long struggle between the miners

| and operators over the terms of the wage
scale to take effect April 1 came to an end
last night amid great confusion, but not.
however. until the scale had previously
been peacefully adopted by unanimous
vote
AS stated in the Journal yesterday, the
increased price for 1900 will be so cents a
ton in all districts except some Of the
small, thin veins of Pennsylvania, Ohio
end Illinois, and, while the miners were
unable TO carry their point as to the run
of-mine" system, they succeeded in holding
their own in Illinois. where the operators
were not able to secure the use of screens
for this year at least. Altogether the
miners felt like congratulating themselves
on having secured the greatest advance
known IN the history of mining, and what
| ever dissension was noticed at the close Of
the meeting was not confined to either
side nor did 1t have to do with the scale.
1t came. about over the decision to hold
the next joint convention I'm Columbus, o.,
at the invitation of John Mcbride and the
Ohio operators. Quite hot argument fol-
lowed the motion by Mr.. Robbins, of Penn
| sylvdnia, and the operators of Indiana
ranged themselves alongside the miners
operators of Ohio and Pennsylvania voted
with the miners of Pennsylvania, Ohio and
Illinois The block district of Indiana cast
half of the Indiana vote for Columbus.
| SCALE COMMITTEES REPORT
The first business taken up was the read
ing Of the report of the scale committee.
as follows:
To the Interstate Convention of Miners and
Your Joint scale committee beg leave to sub
init the following report upon which they nave
Section l. CaJ That an advance OF fourteen
Ssf Rs1 aDh or s%S eoa
in western Pennsylvania thin vein. the Hook
Of aaana q q, That the district Of
% absolute os ran of mime 6as az and
Be Of pa nnf e ee Ssr Gn over
the 6ituminous = coal district Of Indiana shall
pay forty nine e4sl cents per ton for ALI mine run
mined in that ao dstPict shall be passed over
regulation screen and be paid for at the rate OF
pounds FOR FOR SCREENED lump %
Sec. 2. That the screen hereby adopted for
the bituminous district of Indiana shall be uni
feet long. built Of fla. or akron shaped bar. Of
not less than fvs-eghths !sl Of an inch sur Sr
tween bars free from Instructions. and that
such screen shall rest upon a sufficient number
Sec 3. The TO block d Coal district 81 Indiana may
1
area Of Uniform size one and %
and that such screens shall rest upon a sufi-
cens number of bearings to hold the bars in
See. 4. That the dlnerentIal between the thick
ot i be referred to that district for settlement
Sec 5. That the price Of machine mining in
eighteen els Cents per ton less thar the nick
mining rate for screened lump coal when punch
| half G21lz) cents per ton less than pick mining
coal is paid for on run Of mine basis the price
shall ten @ cents psT ton less Inan t the , p;e
and twelve and one-half (I214) cents per ton less
| than pick mining rates when chain machines are
panyilie district ' Of Illinois, the basins point
| on both punching and chain machines be thirty
Sec. s. That the machine mining rate in the
Hooking district Of Ohio for shooting, cutting
and loading shall be advanced pine co. cents per
diana A shall i be advanced eleven and onehait
o cents Ts Der s sRe mining rates in the
district of Pennsyivania be referred to that dis
Sec. 8 That the advance on inside day labor
twenty 9p per cent based d. on the n
trappers. whose compensation shall be one dollar
s Seq per oa That all narrow. dead work and room
turning shall be raid prOportionate advances
Sec 10. That interval differences in any of the
S se R1ts o the States or oT ds
| tricts affected for adjustment;
Sec. II. The above scale is based upon an
HOW TROUBLE AROSE.
The first trouble came on the motion Of
President Mitchell to take UP the scale by
sections. Several Pittsburg delegates
whose district grievances had been re-
ferred back to the miners and operators Of
the Pittsburg thin-vein district for settle
| ment. objected to the adoption of the scale
/ Led Han CO
they alleged that, after the scale was
signed the miners would be bound to stick
to it and would be prevented from calling
| out the men in the thick vein support
| them i'm a strike. President Dolan, OF the
| Pittsburg district. suggested TO the dele
! gates that the only thing TO do this year
| was 10 get all the men In the thick-vein
| district into the miners organization and
| the difficulties from which the contentious
| arose would not exist. Several delegates
then made slight criticisms on the work
| of the scale committee, and some or the
operators Joined with them. and this
aroused some hot talk from members of
| the scale committee on Dotn SIDES. All OF
them helu that they had been confronted
| with perplexing problems and had disposed
| OF them to the best advantage or both
| sides. Delegate Ryan, of the Illinois min
| ers, who has been considered one OF the
| defended the members of the committee
| and urged the delegates on both sides not
| to be carried away by hot heads.
| As the various sections were read obJec-
| tons were made in a prefunctory way oy
| both miners and operators, but all TO no
| purpose, when IL was explained that the
| scale, as IL stood, was the best that either
side could hope TO get and that 10 reJect
| IL or seek TO materially amend II would
| precipitate trouble, the end OF which no
| one could see. Delegate Ryan, in smooth
ing out the Illinois miners. said the Sec
| ton relating TO Illinois was the best he
could get and that he had fought for more
| until he knew that he must take what he
| got or nothing
THE REPORT ADOPTED.
When the report was adopted by sections
| President Mitchell moved TO adopt 1t as a
| whole and this was done, after 1t had been
explained. Several delegates who had been
| sent to the convention pledged TO secure
| an advance for outside laborers made a
| vigorous protest because mention had
been made in the report of that class of
labor. President Mitchell explained that,
| although IL had been thought best not to
insert IL in the scale. the operators had
| tacitly agreed to advance outside labor
| proportionately with ins de day labor. This
| statement was corroborated by j. l.. Nor.
| ton on the operators. who pledged the OPP
| as the scale had been adopted Pr sident
| Mitchell took the floor and stated how both
| s..es would be expected 10 observe IL. He
said few OF the miners had understood
| what q failure 10 agree with the operators
| vo,ld have meant at this time He saio