The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-01-19

The rules committee returned shoruy
af,er 4 o'clock and announced that the
reports OF the officers would preeede the
report OF the credentials committee This
was adopted. and President Mitchell de-
iIvered his annual address.
He urged that the convention be mod
crate in speech and conservative IN
action. adding.
we should keep In mind that the
enemies OF labor and the opponents OF
trade unionism. as represented by the
Manufacturers association and the Cih-
gems Industrial alliance are ever ready
20 make capital out OF the smallest IN
discretion and magnify out of all reason
able proportion the slightest mistake that
trade unionists may make.
The report outlines the situation In
each district. OF the anthracite nelu II
Gays:
dft is q pleasure 10 report that since
the close OF the anthracite strike the re-
lations OF operators and miners nave
grown steadily more cordial with very
few exceptions the award ot the commls-
sion has been rigidly observed ana an
era OF comparative peace ana content
ment has reigned in that territory.
ADJUSTMENT OF DIFFERENCES.
OF central Pennsylvania tne tepVlt
says: During the month OF Msrch d,s ,ne
trict OF Pennsylvania report 4O,WU men
approximately. met In joint conference IN
the city OF Altoona and discussed an
agreement which secured 10 our membefs
a substantial increase I'm wages, and for
the first time In the history OF that dis
trict established the eight-hour day. the
Importance OF this ACHE e.nent cannot
be overestimated.'
Mr.. Mitchell refers TO the extension Of
the conference methods or adjusting
wage differences into West virginia,
Missouri. Kansas Arkansas ana lnoian
Territory. which. he says promises a
long period OF unusual peace to miners
and operators.
The Alabama settlement by the board
OF arbitration Is mentioned with saus-
action. and. summing UP the general
I'm all other districts in which mining
prices have heretofore been regulated by
agreement increased wages were secured
and other concessions obtained. and,
while in many instances wages have not
advanced In proportion To the increases
secured In the central competitive coal
fields on the whole. we have every rea-
son TO feel fairly well satisfied with the
gains during the year 1903
EXTENSION OF UNIONS.
The extension or organization into Can
ada. Montana and Washington are men
ticned. The report says that the organi-
ne ton has increased In membership from
81 900 10 1899 to 2s7,5i5 IN 1893 During the
past year there was n net gain or 36t
unions. making a total OF 2322 unions to "a
districts. "If." says Mr.. Mitchell, every
local union would report >in its fall mem.
bership. there would not be less than
$4,000 members
President Mitchell insists upon the uni
versal adoption Of the run-of-nine basis
On the report he says: II would advise
that the demands OF previous conventions
be repeated and that the scale committee
be authorized TO en1eavor 10 have the
Interstate agreement formulated ipon n
un-of-mlne basis"
The increase in machine mining is
shown to have been IL per cent. OF the
total production In it0g and 20 In 1905. Ma
chine mining has Increased disproportion-
etely He urges that y readiustment oi
the differential be insisted upon lie sug-
gests that not more than two delegates be
sent 10 the international Minm- congress-
at Paris May 90 and urges support OF the
union label and recommends that each
local devote ten minutes of each meeting
20 a discussion OF the question Of union
matters.
THE EIGHT HOUR LAW.
vigorous support OF the anti-injunction
hiil and the eight-hour law bill now In
congress ls urged and OF Federal injunc-
tons 'he says: The evils which have