The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-07
COAL OPERATORS CONFER
An Important Secret Meeting Held
in Cumberland. nd.

Object said 10 Hay" Been TO Arrange
for Uniform Prfces-Neyy Rate Re
ported to Be Twenty Cents Higher.
a Call Issued by the Miners.
BALTIMORE, March An important
meeting Of the operators in the Meyers
dale coal region of Pennsylvania WAS
held yesterday at the office of Shaw
Bros in this city Those at the meeting
refused to discuss what was under con-
sideration, but il Is understood that the
object Of the meeting was To reach an
agreement relative to the price Of SOFT
coal
1t IS said that the new plan proposes 4
fiat rate of $50 q ton at the mines This
IS an advance of about 20 cents ton on
the early contracts made before the boom
l. coaI last year and about the price to
which it advanced owing TO the heavy
demand following this boom The new
price Is to so into effect on April l.
At the same time an advance OF 10 cents
ton is made by the railroads Tor haul
Ing coal intended for tidewaJer shipment
For local consumption and TO points on
tho line Of the railroad handling the coal
no advance IS made
1t Is said the railroads have been urg-
ing the coal operators in the MeVerSdaie
region TO come TO mutual understand
ing relative 10 prices. ana il is believed
in some quarters that this is one step to-
ward q big coal combination
The CIearlieIG and Georges Creek op-
orators have, it Is stated reached an IN
Outstanding as 10 p-ices, and steps in the
same direction have been taken by the OPP
orators IN the Norfolk and Western and
Chesapeake and Ohio regions. What eff
feet these agreements viii have on the
miners is causing considerable discussion.
Representatives Of the Mine Workers
organizations claim that = means a pol
icy of cooperation between the opera
tors in the -ariOuS regions TO resist any
demands made by the miners They say
that the plan pursued by the Georges
Greek operators during the last strike of
shutting down their mines rather than ac-
cede TO the demands Of the miners VIII be
given wider application and that an IN
Outstanding is contemplated by which, in
The event Of one region being obliged to
shut down in order to avoid cOnceding
anything TO the mine workers, the other
regions viii supply the contracts taken by
the operators in the region affected on
basis by which the latter viii receive
share OF the profits
a special from Cumberland, Md. says:
A call has been issued, signed by Dan
iel Young. OF Homecoming district presi-
dent and j +. Williams, OF Salisbury,
secretary-treasurer. for meeting Of The
United Mine Workers Of Georges Creek
AIeyersdaIe District No 16 in Odd-FeI-
lows Hail al AfeyerSdaIe, Pa. on March
T. al 10 a m. 4 circular has been ad-
dressed 10 the various operators Of the
two neldS, which form one district. to
Join IN the conference, but II Is said that
the latter. in accordance with their usual
tactics, viii pay no attention TO the re-
quest
The object Of the convention is to de-
eide on a scale for the year from April
/ 1t is believed the present rate OF 70
cents a ton VIII prevail. II IS the object
of the organization TO have the operators
pledge themselves to maintain this rate
There IS no probability Of a strike The
men seem TO be satisfied with present con-
ditions and are making good wages. The
United Mine Workers are steadily grow
ing in strength in this field.