Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-25

room securely propped. If a miner
working in room fails to securely
prop the same or neglectS to prop as
directed by the pit foreman or care
lessly shoots down the props or tim
bers and fall of slate occurs through
such failure, neglect or carelessness,
he shall Immediately clear his road
way OF such falls of slate and do all
necessary retimbering and in case of
his neglect to do so. the company may
do such work and charge the expense
thereof to such miner.
In case the room has been properly
timbered as above set forth and the
roof from any cause becomes so heavy
as to require double timbering the
company shall, when notified by the
miner do the necessary work to pro-
tect the roadway.
When fall OF slate occurs between
the inside props and the face of his
room of an average thickness not to
exceed three inches he shall immed-
lately remove such fall, and in case
of his neglect to do so, the company
may do such work and charge the ex-
pense thereof to such miner If of a
greater thickness he shall notify the
pit foreman who shall within twenty
four consecutive hours furnish the
necessary labor to make such removal
If the fall is not removed within said
tWenty-four hours the miners affect
ed thereby shall be given employment
until the same is removed
If the miner is dissatisfied with any
decision of the pit foreman an appeal
may be taken to the superintendent
and president of the local union, who
shall decide the question and their de-
cision shall be final. but the miner
shall continue at work pending such
decision. w. H. Powell.
Des Moines, March 20.-(SpeciaD-
Yesterday afternoon the first hour
and half was spent by the scale
committee in making an agreement to
govern the mines at Van Meter, a
place located a short distance from
Des Moines. The mine was placed un.
der the jurisdiction of the fourth
sub-district. and the scale for that
district with few exceptions was
agreed upon.
After deciding the Van Meter mat.
ter the committee reverted to the dis
cussion of the engineers scale which
had been partially settled in the morn,
ing. Already the operators had al
lowed the elimination of a fourth class
engineer, raising all fourth class men
to third class and thus increasing their
wakes from $50 per month to $55.
The engineers scale is based on nine
hour day. as was the case last year
Tail rope engineers were also allow
ed a minimum salary of S55 pei
month or $500 per day, those getting
more than this scale to remain as they
are at present.
Engineers Scale.
Yesterday afternoon the miners ask
ed that the provision for classifying
the engineers be changed somewhat
and finally made the proposition tc
adopt the following resolution:
The tonnage shall be determined by
the average of the mine for the month
of November 1901, based on screer
coal or its equivalent. This scale O.
wages applies only to mines in opera
ton at least one year and in all new
mines the wages of the regular engi
neer shall be advanced with the in
creased tonnage until the maximum
rate is reached. Any engineer now re
ceiving more than $40 per month shall
! mot have his wages decreased. Ii
no case shall the engineer, fireman
or bumpers be interfered with or ask
ed to cease work by any local commit
tee or local union official during the
life of this agreement"
The conditions under which the min
| ers proposed this resolution provided
that the rating must be changed from
last years scale so that the first elias!
engineers should be those who hois
more than $50 tons per day instead o
more than 300, as the present agree
ment reads, and that the second class
should include those engineers WHIT
hoist between 200 and $50 tons pc
tday. The operators were willing to &C
cept the resolution, but asked time il
which TO consider the conditions, an(
they We're given until today.
Night Watchmen.
The question of night watchmen is /;
complicated one, and it caused thu
committee to spend almost all of yes
Iterday morning without accomplishing
much. 1t seems that the conditions a
dliiOol SNSly III luS otutS - oAi
ferent from those at the other mine
with regard to the night watchmen
At some places they do almost moth
| ing in addition to watching the pre-
tmises and property of the company
while at others it is claimed by tn
miners that they are busy all night
and put in twelve hours and some
times more in labor that would cos
their employers almost twice as mucl
as it does if 1t We're done by regula
day men. This is something which
the miners say they will not stand dur
ing the next year, and yesterday morn
| ing they tried everything possible tc
get around the matter. but could not
At last it was passed, but it is thought
that in short time it can be settled
as the two factions are but a cen
apart with regard to the minimum pa,
| per hour to be agreed upon for this
class of labor. The miners want II
cents per hour to be the minimum
while the operators stand out for four
teen cents.
The First District.
A short time before adjournment
yesterday afternoon the scale commit
tee began the consideration of the re
port made by the subcommittee al
| n0inte1 1act Wpply for the purpoSo n