The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-28


wages and conditions of labor. IN order
StoS obviate any possible causes OF dispute
Srnderstte agreement and to interpret fair
IL, agents, or & In 0 Their districts, joint
board s .s are .selecte ed I'm eac count for
the settle cement OF disputes rising out OF
general greene emit a hese boa rds Of con-
ciliaton$ have been highly sue essfl ana
have been rem eWed from Is year to ye ar.
The representative OF both 81 des ppear
to& have grea t contld ence$ In one ian otke II
and I'M spite OF the fact tina ques tons
cancellation Will sometimes leaves The sci "A
tlemen h Of d a. problem to the a ward Of
ia jingle ma ti,a W ho ma Sbe the repre-
sentative either OF VI the opera tors or Of
the miners, This board II oncilat ton is
usually small consisting Of only six me IN.
fbers on each sic de, and ARA n gem nts AT
made for arbitration by II permanent
chairman. In case the represe t. tive ~ 81
the two sides cannot a rec. Only one ca sc
5in# ten, however, is settled by arbitration,
the others being set tiled By &agreement q q.
voluntarily 50 q, 81 !, dlsmlssed on
Cloud Upon the Horizon.
The above description is 3 true Of ssne
conditions Ia tn ey have existed In the
British coal mining inaustry during f tns
months, however. q cloud has appeared g,
upon h tho horizon. a nd All attitude !. has
been adopted by t lie coal owners Whlcn
seems to put In d anger he WI ole prlnel-
Sple for Which the men have been strl "
ling, while tithreatens the peace or = w
coal coal mining Industry. Eyer, since 1901
wages have fal len In the mining industry
OF Great Britain. a nd from the high wages
(which prevailed during lie y " ", az.
the rate Of pay has N w declined u1ltil y
has reached the minimum. W hicl Is about
a OF
day, Owing to- the further fact that WORK
as slack, due to the depression IN bus,
mess. the weekly n earnings 4 OF the coal
miners are very low. 5}s gl8
q TO make matters worse. the mine own WI,
ers OF Scotland have now served !, NOTES OIL
im,lm, with the intention OF enforcing .
further reduction In wages, This, appar-l
entity. they have q legal rig y 70 90, pror
yided that they g I've the mem th rec
months notice. The men, however, fesl
and have felt all along during The last
Tan Years, that the esta bllshment OF q
minimum or living wage had been recpg-
nixed aby tina coal owners. and that an
surrender OF this principle would taKs
away from the miners al iprotesri S aitu
permit the unlimited aud scontlnusu /. s -
dnction of wa es. The quest Ion " one q
nntIonal Importance, n ~ reduction t,r .ot
wages below the minimum, can he ettected
lin scotland, 1t will Inevitably be folipWea
I hy a similar red urtions OF the minimum
wage IN other partsao Great ri tim ana
nv n, complete delnoralizatio &nf he Einr
5dnstry throughout the Kingdom 1|'''' i5#
Call for a Conference 1.
Il n tl.is crisis lie miners Of Scotland
nave called ,Ipon their brethren IN the,
English and Welsh mines 70 meet them
in a conference to determine Upon ~
single policy or united action In RESISTING
tie ggresslons Of the scottish nine own
arr ers5and IN defense sst the minimum wage.
n II * course. Impossible to 5foresea Wha
al.y conference Nil determine Ipop> W.