Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-04

be devised to overcome the difficulty
The. matter of the scale will, probably
be referred back to the same or some
other scale committee, which, hope,
will arrive at an agreement satisfac-
tory to botlh Sides
The Afternoon Session. III
At yesterday afternoons session of
the scale committee. President Reese
announced that the miners had decid-
ed to accede to the request of the OPP
orators and allow them thirteen mem
beers on the scale committee with elev-
en- votes. Il
The few sections of the scale adopt
ed at that session will not be officially
to the Joint convention owing
to the fact that the committee failed to
agree almost before any real work had
been done.
Mine Run Question.
AT the opening of the meeting yes
terday afternoon, Mr.. Reese stated
plainly that the miners would not
this year bring up the mine run ques-
thus departing from their usual Gus
tom. The miners contend that the
mine run system is the only fair one
under which coal mining can be car
ried on, and it is the object of the min
ers to secure this system at some time.
However, Indiana miners failed to do
so this year, and in view of this fact
Mr.. Reese announced the Iowa miners
will not bring it up. Mr.. Reese then
presented motion providing that the
Ottumwa scale, which is the one adopt
ed last year at Ottumwa and the one
under which the miners are now work
ing, be taken as a basis for discussion
for the scale committee convention
this year. 1t has been the custom for
each side to prepare scale for adopt
ion, and to work on these, but Mr..
Reeses motion rather simplified mat
tiers, and was carried.
The First District.
AS was the case last year, the first
sub-district, which includes the south
ern counties in Iowa and Putnam
county in Missouri, is the part of the
state that started the trouble There
are different conditions in that sub
district, especially on the different
roads, that it is difficult for the oper-
ators to agree on what the scale
should be. This condition is added to
by the fact that in Missouri the mining
| Is done altogether on mine run bias.
is, While this is not the case in Iowa.
| The OttumWa agreement, under which
! the mines are now working, contains
! no price for mine run coal except on
the c., B. & K. c. R. R. track, where
it is 1894 cents. The price paid at
Stahl, Mo-, under the Missouri agree
ment, is less than that paid at Mendo-
ia, Putnam county, where the mines
are governed by the Iowa agreement.
This does not suit the Mendoza opera
tors and yesterday they asked that
they be allowed the same rate as paid
at Stahl. This the miners objected to,
asking that the price remain the same
as at present. The miners at the same
time announced that they expected
some advance in the day wage scale.
This motion brought out much dis.
cussion, during which the questions of
screens, percentage of screenings at
different mines, freight rates, coal
markets and nearly everything else
/ connected with the matter were con
sidered and finally the motion made by
i Mr.. Reese was lost.
Reese Declares Himself.
AT this juncture Reese declared him
self In the same manner in which he
had earlier in the afternoon. He sale
that the operators were showing dis
position to hold back until the Illinois
! scale is settled, that they wished tc
do nothing important until their entire
association shall meet March IL, an(
that they seemed to want to let the
important matters rest until they see
their constituents. He said that he
had come to the conclusion that the
manner of holding the conventions
that is, of having the scale convention
before the separate conventions, is
showing itself to be failure, contrary
to his expectations and hopes. He
made the statement that if the operat
ors intended to continue holding back
he was ready to adjourn the scale
committee until March H.
After this declaration, and after the
first sub-district operators showed al
inclination to finish their part of the
scale first, Mr.. Reese called short
caucus of the miners, and the operat
ors also held short conference. WheI
the two bodies came together again
after few minutes. Nh. Reese renew.
ed his motion to pass the matter O.
the price for mine run in the first sub
district, and his motion was carried
1t was then decided to hold nigh
]; session and an adjournment was take1
at 6 O'Clock until o'clock in the ev
ening.
The Sections Adopted.
At yesterday afternoons session
some of the sections of the new agree
ment were adopted by the scale com