Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-07
Both Miners and Operators on
Wages of Machine Follow
Question
LITTLE PROSPECT OF AGREEMENT
The lnsistence of Miners That Machine
Followers Wages Be Increased 10 Per
Gent Creates No Favorable impress
sion on Operators, Who Present Their
Arguments and Reasons for Refusal.

indianapolis, mo-, fep. g. ne STAY
committee of miners and operators
held two sessions Friday, and when
they adjourned last evening they stood
practically where they were yesterday,
the miners making number OF efforts
to secure unanimous vote on sthe
proposition to increase the wages OF
machine followers 10 per cent. but the
operators standing firmly against 1t.
So little has been the progress made
in the past three days that the oper-
ators are discussing the propriety OF
moving for a permanent adjournment,
and they would have done so yesterday
but for the fact that they did not
want to take the initiative in move
ment that would result in a suspension
of mining turnout the competitive dis
trict They went so far. however, as
to discuss the points which they would
include in an address to the people
il they are finally compelled to ad-
journ without reaching an agree
ment.
Speaking of the situation. w. s.
Boyle, one of the Indiana representa-
tives on the sale committee, said: I'VE
have reached point where 1t is use
less to argue further. and the oper-
ators are simply waiting for the miners
to reject their proposition hnally ana
unequivocally. and then we are ready
to go home. We have offered an IN
crease OF 121s per cent, or IL cents
per ton, with "A corresponding increase
to all the men who follow machines.
We ask that the same per cent OF IN
crease be applied to the diiferentlal pe-
tween pick and machine-mined COAL
but the miners demand an increase o.
10 per cent for men who follow the
machine and oppose any increase In the
differential The whole purpose is to
discourage machine mining and to run
the machines out of the mines.
You can see what the effect of such
an increase ais 10 per cent for machine
men would be. In Pennsylvania and
Ohio machine mining predominates ov-
er pick mining, while in Indiana anu
Illinois the reverse of this is true. II
the proposed increase were allowed the
operators In the first two named states.
where machine mining predoninates,
would be subjected to greater cost
in getting out their coal than would
the operators of Indiana and Illinois.
and the purpose is to drive the ma
chimes out of the mines of the frs!
two states and discourage their intro
duction into the mines of the other two.
1t has resolved itself into a fight against
machines and progress, and 1t is un-
American and will not be recognized
by the operators"
The operators say that the PROPOSE
ton to increase wages 10 cents per
ton, or 121a per cent. with q corre-
spending increase for employees about
the mines, means that the cost of pro-
duction Will be 90 cents per ton greater
than the present scale, and that they
are Offering the miners more money
than they have ever received for the
same amount Of work.
They say that the output of the BIZ
luminous mines last year was $4,000, 900
tons and the advance they have offered
means the payment OF s152O0,OoO more
this year than they paid last year. They
do not believe the miners can afford
to reject this offer and go before the
people with any hope of public SYM
pathy in their effort to force greater
concessions by general suspension OF
bituminous mining.