The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-11-15
MINES And MINING.
Important Meeting of the Iowa
Grievance Board.

/
arbitration of the Iowa mine work
ers and operators which met in this
city Wednesday afternoon and con-
cluded it's work and adjourned last
night, terminated it's business salts
factorily to both sides. This board
is the result of the Des Moines agree
ment made last March and adopted
at Des Moines, and which became eff
fective on the first of April. Such
| questions as cannot be settled at the
mines between the employees and
operators, are referred to the board
for adjustment.
There we're three quite important
questions that came before the board
and number of minor matters. One
of these questions came before the
board from Rathburn, in the southern
field. 1t was the question of the
miners responsibility in taking care
of the roof The operators held that
under the Des Moines agreement the
miners are to take care of roof trou-
bles within twenty feet ofthe breast,
There was no difference on that
point put the miners claim that in
excessive falling of the roof that they
were not responsible and should not
be obliged to clan it The board =,
however, failed to determine last
NIGHT onnoarpipO thio Ynint an1 II
was left with the understanding that
work will be continued as it has been
done in the past up to this time.
Another of ths most important
questions 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 to the
roadways, 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 bot
toms to make the necessary height
when required by the operators, pro-
viding that a satisfactory price should
be agreed upon between the operat-
ors and the men at different places.
This means that in case the miners
and operators at Laddsdale fail to
agree upon the price for such work
that the company will be compelled
to do the work by their day men.
The third question of particular
Importance came from Markersville,
in the Des Moines district 1t was a
question as to whether q company
could change any rules that in any
way affected 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 question was whether he had
been guilty of anything meriting dis
charge. The board did not want to
make 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
tiers are being adjusted from time to
time between Mr.. Reese and the
operators.
All declare that the Des Moines
agreement has been very satisfactory
to both sides and both sides have
lived up to the agreement in spirit
and letter.
One of the most important matters
that came before the board was the
decision to meet in Ottumwa the last
of next February or the first of March
for the purpose OF drawing up a new
agreement to take the place of the
Des Moines agreement, which will ex-
pire on the first of April next. That
will be very important meeting to
mining interests of the central west.