The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-08-06
OTHER OPERATORS SAY
 THEY ARE NOT SURPRISED
VIII Have No Effect on Their Action. Agreement as Signed Calls for a Minimum of 47la Gents When
 Iron Is Selling at $s.

CTS yesterday reached an agreement by which that company will pay the wage scale of last year pending a settlement with the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail- road company and other leading com panies of this district
 The scale as agreed upon provides a minimum rate of 47iz cents a ton when iron is selling at $s ton. This is what is known as the temporary contract" and is the same as signed by most of the commercial companies.
 The contract was signed by T. G. Bush, president of the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron company, Edward Flynn, president of District No. 20. United Mine Workers of America, and William R. Fairley, member of the national board. As result of this agreement about 600 miners will immediately resume work in the several mines of Col. Bush's com pany and all of the furnaces will soon be in blast. The mines operated by the Ala bama Consolidated Coal and Iron com- pany are located at Searles, Brookwood, Hewitt and Lewisburg or Mary Lee.
 Operators Not Surprised.
 The announcement that Col. Bush had signed the temporary scale was re- celved with intense interest by the other operators though they were unanimous in saying they were not surprised. Sev- eral days ago Col. Bush made the min CTS a proposition to sign a scale calling for a 45 cents minimum instead of 471z but this was rejected by the miners.
 officials of the miners union and Colo nel Bush held a conference yesterday morning as a result of which the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron company agreed to sign the temporary scale at 471s cents minimum.
 The Alabama Consolidated Is the first of the larger companies to sign an agree ment with the miners and the effect of this action is awaited with much interest by both miners and operators.
 President Maben of the sloss-sheffield company, when told of the action of Colo mel Bush, said that he was not surprised and he didn't think the operators as a rule, would be astonished.
 VIII Have No Effect.
 "This will have no effect whatever on the sloss-shefield or the other compa- nies," said MT. Maben, "and as I said be- fore we were not In he least surprised For several days past we had been led to believe that Colonel Bush was going to sign a scale but his action was inde- pendent of other operators"
 While Mir Maben did not care to dis cuss the general situation he intimated that his company could not afford to pay the scale demanded by the miners and had no intention of doing so. At the of- fees of his company the impression was created that 1t is the intention to reopen the mines at date not far distant.
 The miners were very much pleased at company They say that the scale they are demanding Is nothing more than right
 
 dated company can afford to pay it they don't see why the other operators can not.
 Miners Are Firm.
 MT. Fairley said yesterday afternoon that he had visited several of the locals and had found the miners determined not to yield.
 T addressed the largest meeting of miners have ever seen at Blocton," said Mir. Fairley. "and the men are unanimous in insisting on the old scale. find the same sentiment In other places
 So far not a disturbance has been re- ported in the entire district and the miners say there will be none if they can help it. The men were urged to refrain from any acts of lawlessness in the off cial call for a strike and they have evi- dently obeyed this injunction by the off, cials.
 The men while idle are amusing them selves by hunting, fishing and playing baseball. Several of them are reported to have made some good catches in the streams near their camps.
 There has been comparatively no suf- fering among the strikes, though a con- siderable amount of supplies has been forwarded toA some of the locals from district headquarters.
 Roof Succeeds Thompson.
 Prof F. M. Roof. formerly president of Howard college, has been unanimously elected as secretary of the Citizens al- liance to succeed N. F. Thompson. who | a a mi