The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-24
OPERATORS WANT
 JOINT COMMITTEE
Furnace Men Send Letter to.
 President Edward Flynn
ADJOURNED MEETING TODAY
Mlners Assembled Yesterday Pursuant to Adjournment, But Furnace Opp orators Were Not Ready
 to Confer on Scale.

A joint committee of miners and oper- ators will probably be appointed and be gin work on a wage scale before the end of the week.
 The United Mine Workers convention met at Knights of Columbus hall yes terday morning pursuant to adjournment, but no one was present to represent the furnace operators and consequently nothing was done. A messenger from. the operators announced that they were not yet ready for a joint conference but would be during the afternoon. The hall not be- ing available for an afternoon session the convention adjourned until this morn ing.
 In the afternoon President Flynn re- ceiyed a communication signed by all the furnace operators asking that a commit tee of four miners be appointed to con- fer with a committee of four operators for the purpose of considering scale. While President Flynn would make no announcement as to what the action of the convention would probably be on this proposition it is regarded as certain that this joint committee will be appoint ed and that 1t will lose no time in getting to work
 The letter to MT. Flynn was also signed by one commercial operator, B. F. Roden, president of the Central Coal company. MT. Roden delivered the letter to MT. Flynn at miners headquarters an the Chalifoux building.
 The Session.
 The delegates to the miners convention were very prompt in assembling at II o'clock, the hour appointed upon adjourn ment last Monday. As none of the opera tors were present, the members awaited the call to order by President Flynn with feeling of unrest. The president sat in his chair along side of National Board Member W. F. Fairley for thirty minutes and finally at 80 the gave sounded the call to order Up to this time only one operator had appeared, W. T. Under wood
 President Flynn asked the pleasure of the convention. There was a pause of several moments. MT. Fairley finally arose and addressed the chair as fol- lows
 "The operators were notified that we would be ready to meet them in conven- ton at Il o'clock this morning." he said MT. Underwood of the commercial operators seems to be the only one pres ent. 1t Is now up to this convention tc determine what 1t will do. We had under stood that the operators were to send 8 scale committee to meet us this morning but there Is no scale committee here. II Is now up to the convention to act"
 Suggestions Made.
 A delegate suggested in rather sarcas- tic voice that probably the operators de- sired another invitation to the hall An other delegate suggested adjournment until o'clock, but President Flynn asked that this motion be temporarily with drawn.
 According to a statement in the Age Herald of this morning the operators will not be ready to meet us at this hour" he said Mr. Flynn was just in the act Of suggesting an adjournment, when a messenger from the operators was an- nounced. Without introduction, the mes- senger announced from the rear of the hall that the operators were not yet ready to confer with the miners, but asked for conference during the afternoon
 President Flynn called attention to a letter announcing that the hall had been rented to other parties for the afternoon, and he suggested adjournment until this morning at 10 o'clock. This suggestion met the approval of the delegates and the operators were accordingly notified.
 The Operators.
 The Coal Operators association is prac- tically defunct. In this association the commercial operators as well as the fur mace operators were admitted to mem bership It Is understood that some time ago the furnace men, without any special conference, decided to let the association die and to act only from the point of view of the iron manufacturer. The fur mace men have not formed an association and do not intend, 1t Is said to have a formal organizations; but they are acting together in regard to the wage scale ques- tion.