The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-03-31
MINERS OF IOWA
MAY COON STRIKE.
OPERATORS AND EMPLOYEES
FAIL TO AGREE.
THE BREACH GROWS WIDER.
Neither is Willing to Yield on Day
Wage Scale and All PROPOSE
tions For Arbitration Are
Turned Down.
THE BREACH GROWS WIDER.
Special to Daily Herald.

Iowa is on the verge or strike among
the coal miners. in spite Of the recent
vote for peace. The annual confer
ence between the miners and the OPP
orators which had been in session for
three days, adjourned yesterday after
noon until Monday at 2 o'clock with
aut coming to any agreement relative
40 the day wage scale; the announce
ment was made before adjournment
that unless their differences could be
adjusted at that time there seemed no
possibility of ayerting a strike.
The miners and operators ratified
aha indianapolis basis Of settlement
at their first days session on Tuesday.
This settlement arbitrarily fixes the
price for mining coal, and provides
Tor a reduction Of 5.55 per cent, but
the question now before the confer.
ence relates to the day wage for those
employees about a mine who are en-
gagged in other work than that of ac-
tualIy mining coal, such as cagers,
drivers and the like.
Four Districts in State.
There are four coal districts in the
state of Iowa. In districts Nos and
3 the day wage scale is $2.56 per day,
while In districts Nos and the day
wage is S2.44 The miners PROPOSE
tion is that in these districts the day
wage scale shall be uniform, or at the
rate Of $2.42 per day, which means
that the wages in the and districts
shall be reduced II cents, while in the
/ and it shall be reduced but 81
cents. The operators claim that the
day wage shall be fixed upon the
basis of the Indianapolis agreement,
which means that in all four districts
the reduction shall be Ia cents in each
instance, or $2.42 in the 2 and dis
triets and $3.50 in the l and 4 dis
srIcts.
Miners Offer Resolutions.
AZ the conference yesterday the
miners offered the following resolu-
ions:
That the following questions be sub |
nftted to a board of arbitration each |
'arty to select one member of said |
,oard, and they two to select third |
,erson, who shall be the arbitrator,
ind their decision shall be final and |
binding on all partiesggf 9sefeated. The
-s,Srd member OF said board so select |
y.Fshall be disinterested person.
Questions to Be Determined.
First-That the wages paid drivers,
rip riders and cagers in districts No. |
| and 4 shall be $2.42 per day, as pro-
yided in the indianapolis agreement. |
Second That the wages Of all out |
side labor shall be the same as paid
n Illinois for the different classes of
labor.
Third-That the engineers wages
be based on an absolute nine-hour day
and twenty-six days per month.
Fourth-Thab the price of powder
be reduced 25 cents per key in con-
formity with the price paid in the
competitive fields and elsewhere.
Fifth-That commission shall be
appointed by the presidents of the
operators and miners organizations to
Investigate the Fraser upper vein and
fx price to be paid for mining of
same.
Counter Resolutions.
As a substitute for the above set of
following. which we're voted down:
In lieu of paragraph No. BASED
on the indianapolis settlement. and as
compared with the value of the same
class of labor in the other sub-dis-
tricts of Iowa, what shall be the wages
OF drivers, cagers and trip riders in
the FIRST and fourth sub-distriets.
In lieu of paragraph No. BINDER
the indianapolis agreement what shall
be the wages of top labor in Iowa.
In lieu Of paragraph No. 4.-The
furnishing of powder by the operators
having always been conceded by the
miners. under the joint agreement,
and its price never having been adj
Yanced with the advance in the price
of mining. what shall the price per
keg be under the proposed scale.
Miners Come Again.
The miners then offered the follow
fMg resolutions, which were in turn
voted down:
Provided. that any question the
operators wish to submit, in regard to
entry work. room, turning, brushing,
deficient work. or rules governing the
operation of the mine. shall be sub
mitted to said board. ON the same
conditions as the other questions
And provided further, that the com
mission proposed for Fraser shall
make price and conditions for the
lower vein at Fraser and settle the
mine run price on the X. c. track.
After the above resolutions had
been discarded, the following were in.
PRODUCED and likewise met with re-
lection:
Inasmuch as ii has been admitted
ay both sides of the scale committee
that settlements at indianapolis have
for several years fixed the scale Of
uriees for Iowa, and the last settle
anent at Indianapolis, to which the
Iowa miners were party, agreed on
= reduction OF three and five cents
per ton on the mining price and 5.55
hundredths per cent on all other labor
ana dead work, 1t is hereby agreed
that when any difference arises on the
scale committee as TO what that set
element means as applied 10 Iowa, the
same shall be submitted TO arbitra-
1ion