Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-03-07
THEYWANT TOFINISH
Miners and Operators Desire Set
Element of Differences.
OPERATORS HOLD SEPARATE CAUCUS
This Mornings Session of the Scale
Committee Adjourned Early to Al
low Operators to convene-The
Prospects for Satisfactory Scale.
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
The joint scale committee of the
miners and operators of District 10,
as fixed by the United Mine Workers
of America, has been in convention
one week and has accomplished al
most nothing in the way of adjusting
the scale where it needed adjusting
the most. True, the matters of lump
coal price and, in some instances, of
dead work, have been decided salts
factorily to both sides, but the import
ant questions as to mine run and
screens are left in the same condition
as when the convention was first call
ed to order last Tuesday.
The morning session today was rath-
err short, and was adjourned without
any important action, in order to let
the operators caucus. A motion
which was offered by H. L. Waterman
at yesterday afternoons session, still
pended this morning. 1t was made
with a view to solving the mine run
question in the second district, which
includes Wapello county. Last year 5
price was Sc 20 cents for this coal,
but the miners claim that this is, not
enough and have proposed that the
scale be made 81 cents, while the OPP
orators refuse to offer more than GO.
Mr.. Waterman's motion was as follows:
"No mine run price shall be made for
the second district, but it is hereby
agreed that any mine may make such
coal when sale for same is found, and
, the price shall be what a test at each
mine shows to be the relative price
for such coal, based on the price at
each mine for screened coal" The
miners offered an amendment to this
motion, reading, provided the mini
mum price for mine run shall be less
than 60 cents" and John F. Ream, of
the miners, offered another to the eff
feet that all mines now running on q
mine run basis shall continue SO except
when otherwise agreed upon between
the state board of the United Mine
Workers of America and the operator
affected.
This motion, when completed, was
entirely satisfactory to the miners and
to some of the operators, but was OPP
posed by some of the latter class and
was consequently lost, according to the
rule adopted at the beginning of the
convention, providing that a unit vote
must be had in order to decide any
important question.
At this juncture l.. R. Rosebrook
moved that, owing to the fact that 1t
was necessary to have meeting of
the operators at once, the joint meet
ing adjourn until o'clock this after
noon. The miners, anxious to come
to a settlement and get home, voted
against this motion, the operators,
wishing to have a separate meeting
cast their votes in favor of adjourn.
ment, and Chairman Morris, saying
that in his opinion the work of max
ing scale could be fastened by ad'
journment at this time, cast the de.
Gliding vote in favor of it.
After the decision had been render
ed in the matter of adjournment, Pres
ident John P. Reese, of the miners
took the floor to make a few remarks
concerning the doings of the conven
ton up to the present time. He said
In part:
1.-THE operators have treated us dur
ing the convention anything but gen
tlemanly. You are all playing fol
time. There are only a few operators
in the state who are ready to make 6
/ those who do not wish to do so. We
are now about to adjourn, and I viii
say for the miners that if the operat
ors do not appear ready to make {
settlement at 2 o'clock this afternoon
we will adjourn to the Turner hall
make a scale and go home to stand o.
fall by that scale. We have become
tired of staying here without reachin,
settlement. 1t seems that the oper
ators are waiting for each other. On,
district does not want to settle on
scale before the other districts have
done SO. What we want to do is tt
sign scale and go home. If we hav'
to go home without signing scale WI
will do so, but we do not want to hav,
trouble. 1t took month of idlenes
at one place last year to fix scale
and we do not want to have this occu
again"
L. R. Rosebrook rose to reply in
somewhat light vein to Mr.. Reese
speech, and became engaged in lii
tie good-natured wordy war with L
P. Joyce, of Des Moines. James Bos
ton, of Sparta, H., national boar
member from Illinois, who has beel
present at the meeting of the seal
committee since the first, spoke TO
the first time this morning. He said Il
part:
During the scale committees meet
ings have listened attentively t
what has been said, and it certainl
appears that the operators do not wis
to make a settlement, at least, no
now. They also act unfairly and in
dilatory manner. We are now goin
to adjourn until this afternoon, and
surely hope that the operators wi
come back then prepared to do bus
ness. assure you that if you fail t
make settlement now the miners wi
demand even more next year. Nor
than that, have received instruction
from the national board, and ! can sa
that II had received these soone
you could not have made the settle
IT.