The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-01-05

The largest labor convention ever
held in the world will open in Indian
apolis January 81. 1t will be the 18th
annual convention of the United Mine
Workers of America. On January 81
the delegates will go to Columbus, O.,
to take part in joint convention of
bituminous operators and miners OF the
four competitive states-Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana and illinois, West Vir-
ginia, Kentucky, Iowa and Tennessee
base their wage scales upon those fixed
by the joint conference for the COM
petitive states. Iowa miners and oper-
ators, however, will ask for admission
to the joint conference.
The Indianapolis convention will fix
the wage scale that the miners will de-
mand at the joint conference. 1t will
also decide whether demand shall be
made for payment of wages on the
mine run" basis or after coal has
passed over screens. Illinois miners are
paid on the mine run basis, while in the
other three states the double standard
prevails, the operators having the pri-
Miners are paid by the ton, and under
the mine run system the coal is weigh
ed just as it comes from the mine, and
is claimed to be perfectly fair to both
sides. To prevent injustice when the
miner is paid on screen coal, the con-
vention fixes the size of screens and the
distance between the iron bars of which
they are composed.
Whether the miners will ask for an
| increase of wages or the operators de-
mand reduction are questions that
neither side will admit can be answered
| now 1t is said, however, that the min
ers are more DESTROYS of securing bet
ter working conditions than they are
of an increase of wages, while the Oper-
ators, or the great majority of them,
are satisfied with the present scale, il
no changes are made in the method Of
employment.
This is especially true Of Illinois.
The operators of this state will meet
two days before the. Columbus joint
conference and prepare their ultinlatum
to the union. They willH0bject to
changes in the methods of mining coal.
as they claim the business conditions
will not warrant it. The miners say
they do not believe this. The Illinois
mining scale is paid on a basis of 40
cents in the Danville feld;sand a con-
ference was recently held to investigate
if this was fair to both miner andtoper-
ator. The finding will not be known
until the joint conference is held7 The
rate in the other competitive states is
based on the price paid in the Hooking
Valley. H., -;
Probably the most important question
for the miners to discuss at their con-
. vention is the establ ish1he1lt, OF. a. de-
tense fund to put them on a lighting
Ebasis in the event trnblh and & the
|miners' officials are as anxious:to be as
we'll protected, The operators are also
anxious to go into the convention as
strong as the miners, believing. that
they will be in better position to say
no to all propositions against their in
terests. ..
While it is impossible to forecast the
action of the convention or the joint
conference on the wage question it is
an easy matter to tell who will lead the
miners another year, providing: he will
accept another reelection. John Nit
chell has no opposition. for president
His friends say his name is a household
word in. not only the bituminous Goa
fields, but also in the anthracite regions
of Pennsylvania and that the miners
demand that he accept I the position
lagain.
Thomas l.. Lewis and Benz amir
Jones are opponents for the vice-presi'
dency. Lewis made the fight for "mine
run" in the Chicago joint mining con.
ference in 1897 and James took a pro.
minent part the in recent strike in the
hard coal fields. w. B. Wilson has nc
1OppOsitiOn for secretary.