The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-03-29
GOAL MEN MAY COMBINE
Illinois Operators Association Is
Perfecting Plans to Form a
Giant Combination.
WILL AFFECT ALL MINES IN THE STATE,
Nine Hundred Coal Properties to BE
United with Capital of $75,OOO,-
GOODWILL Employ Forty Thousand
Men-E6ect on the Labor Question
Will Be Far Reaching.

Springfield, ILL.,, March 21.-Illinois
is to be the field of another gigantic
industrial combination, the project
contemplating the cons olidation of
the coal mining properties of the
state. The combination, when COM
pleted, will include every coal mine
in the state, and will have capital
ization of not less than $75,OO0, 900.
Articles of incorporation will be taken
out in New Jersey. The combinat ton
will control over 900 mines, the total
output of which exceeded 100000
tons last year. In these mines there
are employed over $4,000 men. exclu-
sive of office help and managers,
which increases the total number of
employees to approximately 10000.
Expect Great Gains.
The money necessary to carry out
the plan is said to have been pledged.
Through this combination the oper-
ators expect to secure great adj
vantage in the open market by rea-
SON of being able to fill large con-
tracts quickly, to effect a considera-
BILE saving in operting and Office ex-
penses and to strengthen their posi-
ton in dealing with organized labor.
The matter of consolidation has
been under consideration by the Illi-
nois Operators association for some
time, but it is only since the
recent joint state conference of
operators and miners that the
project began to take tangible form.
A meeting of the operators who are
at the head of the monster undertake
ing will be held in Chicago within the
next few days, and it is expected that
final action will be taken at this
meeting.
Plan of Absorption.
A committee will be selected to visit
all the mines of the state, to ascer-
tain the condition of the property and
to obtain possession of each mine,
either by outright purchase or by TAX
ing the operators into the combina-
ton. It is expected that the operators
generally will enter into the combina-
ton with avidity, owing to the present
unhealthy condition of the industry
in Illinois. A fair cash valuation will
be placed upon every property in the
state and the combination will be
ready to pay the cash wherever an OPP
orator prefers not to become party
to the combination. The state will be
divided into districts, each of which
will be under the direction of man
ager The district managers will in
turn be under the control of general
manager, or more likely a board of
managers. All the business will be
transacted at central office, the COM
bination taking form similar to that
of the Pittsburgh organization which
controls over IS per cent. of the mines
in that district.
Effect on Labor.
The effect of the combination upon
the labor question is expected to be
far reaching. This problem has caused
the Illinois operators much trouble of
late years. AS the individual operator
will be eradicated from the field the
board of managers of the combination
will be able to formulate plans with
which to combat the demands that the
unions are now making.
A prominent operator stated sew
eral days ago that if the operators of
Illinois wished to operate their mines
at a fair profit they would have to
adopt similar measures to those adopt
ed by the leading eastern concerns,
namely, the consolidation of all the
small companies into one gigantic
company under the control of a gen.
eral manager or board of managers,
who would be able to dictate terms
to the officials of labor organizations
that would be more favorable than
IL