The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-29
THE WAGES OF MINERS
CONFERENCE WITH OPERATORS
WILL BEGIN HERE TO-DAY.
Both Sides Evidently Anticipate n
Struggle of No Mean Proportions
Morrison Hall Smoker.

diana, OHIO and western pennsylvania Will
begin, and the result of its deliberations
will regulate the wages to be paid to min
ers OF the district members OF the miners
union by the coal mine interests The con-
ference will be the annual wage convention
of the representatives OF the United Mine
Workers of America and the owners of the
bituminous coal mines of the central COM
petitive district. The conference will be
important in that 1t will either fix a higher
wage scale for the miners for the year be-
ginning with April / or IL will mean the be-
ginning OF another coal miners strike, this
one TO be of the men who make possible
the success OF the manufacturing industries
Of the central States.
When the conference is convened this
morning G. w. Traer. of Illinois. will be in
the chair, and under his direction William
Il. Wilson. secretary of the United Mine
Workers of America, and G. s. ScroGgs,
secretary of the Illinois Operators Associa-
ton, will act secretaries. The mine
owners in attendance at the conference will
number few more than 200, while the dele
gates from the various districts of Indiana,
Illinois, Ohio and western Pennsylvania
will more than equal them numerically. The
miners will be headed by w. II. Haskins, of
Ohio. chairman of the scale committee of
the mine workers convention, and their
national officers. President John Mitchell
and Secretary William b. Wilson. For the
operators f. l.. Robbins of Pittsburg, will
lead the debate and will be supported by
many representative mine owners VINO
have had much experience with trades
union conventions.
OPERATORS ALL HERE.
of hod RI al
reached indianapolis yesterday TO be in
time for the ante-conference meetings.
which are practically caucuses for the Sc
lection of officers for the convention and
policies to be followed. English's Hotel
has been designated as headquarters and
at this hotel majority of the mine own
ers are guests. Others are at the Grand
and Denison. All of them are more than
reserved about their intentions and refuse
TO discuss their probable action in the con-
ference. Among those who have already
reached the city and who will be promi-
nently identified with the conference are
]. Smith Talley. of Terre Haute; A NJ
Ogle, of the Island Coal Company, and Phil
III. Kenna, the commissioner of the Indiana
mine operators; f. l.. Robbins and G.. w.
Schneider, of the Pittsburg Coal Company:
.. A. Blackburn and George Theis, OF
Pennsylvania, and John III. Jones and
George Magoon, OF the Pennsylvania dis
trict. Joseph Cavanaugh, George Cults,
Harry Taylor and Joseph Garraghty, of the
Illinois operators and many others are In
the city
The Pittsburg delegation is the host of
the meeting The honor of entertaining the
privilege this year fell to the Western
Pennsylvania men. Their duties as hosts
consist in arranging meeting places and
supplying badges and other civilities COM
mon TO conventions.
What the conference will do Is question
able The miners in convention agreed
upon a scale that means 20 per cent. in
crease for both inside and outside work.
men at the mines; a 7-cent differential on
pick and machine-mined COAL and the
establishment OF run-of-mine basis. The
convention also pledges itself to support
this demand and to make no concessions to
the operators. This sentiment was voiced
in the speech of Chairman Haskins to the
convention on its closing day and also by
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Wilson, who enumer-
ated the funds now at the disposal of the
executive board should an occasion arise
for their use and also deplored the action
of the convention in not raising a larger
defense fund. The miners generally seemed
to believe that they would not recede from
their original demand and indeed the senti-
ment for a larger demand was so strong
| in the convention that the recommendations
| of the wage committee for 20 per cent.
| disfavor. The fact that the anthracite
| strike was prolonged until effective in
| spired the miners to the belief that they are
| invincible.
MONEY EASILY RAISED.
The ease with which money was raised
and the sentiment and public sympathy
for the strike aroused by an expose of the
| conditions in the hard coal district are still
fresh in the minds of the miners. The con-
vention listened to speeches describing the
magnitude of the order, and its report OF
financial and numerical strength was such
| that pride was taken in 1t and the delegates
| gloried i'm their achievements. The sta
| tistical information showing the prices OF
coal during the last twelve months and a
| computation OF the earnings of the opera
| tors based on the wages paid to miners,
railroad rates on coal shipped to contracted
| points and wear and tear on machinery
/ and cost of operation and maintenance were
/ carefully gone over.
| From these figures the miners based their
! demands for an increase, and II is believed
| by all and expressed by some that the
| operators will either have TO concede the
/ demand or provoke a breach of peace that
| will be awful in consequence TO both par
i ties to the conference as well as to the con-
| sumers of coal and the general public and
| financial interests of the country.
The operators are known to disapprove
| of the demands. That to grant them would
| establish what to them is an unfortunate
| precedent of wages is said TO be one reason
| for opposition. To concede to the demand
| will also be a monetary loss, they main
| tain. as the prices they have obtained fol
| coal have largely been contract prices es
| tablished year ago and the prices OF
| which the existing wage scale was made
! In addition to this the mine owners believe
| the demands unreasonable in that they in
/ crease the wages of inside and outside men
| and also contain many technical points thai
| they have persistently and consistently re
| fused TO accede to heretofore.
| In the conference will be men who have
had experience in such matters and many
| mine leaders. Haskins included, realize full
| faith to the miners and also to the peopl,
! of the central States. and the hope is ex
| pressed by many that conservatism will
| carry the conference, although grave fears
| of an open rupture are being expressed. 4
| disturbance of the relations of the miner:
| and operators would mean on April |
| strike OF the bituminous coal workers tina
| would cause equally as much discomfort
and financial loss i'm the central States a.
was caused by the struggle in the hare
coal fields of Pennsylvania, West Virgini;
and Virginia.
Tomlinson Hall Banquet Tonight.
The reception and banquet rendered b,
the Central Labor Union to the delegate
TO the miners convention and the coal min
operators here at the wage conference will
be given tonight in Tomlinson Hail.
vaudeville entertainment luncheon, music
speeches by MayOr BOOkwalter w. ~