Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-16
ACCEPT PROPOSITION
WORK OF PREPARING THE WAGE
AGREEMENT PROGRESSING
RAPIDLY AT DIES MONIES.
At Noon Today the Subcommittee
Had Finished Details Of Scale for
= First, Second and Third Districts
To Report Tomorrow.

Des Moines, April IA. = (Special) VI
After six weeks of parleying and two
weeks of idleness the operators and
miners of Iowa have at last hit upon a
plan which gives every prospect OF
resulting in an agreeable scale for the
two years ending March 81, 1906, It
is safe to say that by the middle of
the coming week the coal mines OF
the state will again be open and all
the evils of coal strike in this state
will have been lodged for another two
years.
Work Progresses Fast.
Once the scale committee had set
tied upon the most. important ques-
lions, as mentioned in the Courier
yesterday, the work of making a new
scale progressed with speed and when
adjournment was taken at 5 o'clock
yesterday afternoon the dreaded first
.district including the mines on the c.,
B. & K. G.. railroad, had been provided
II for. This district includes Appanoose
county ard few other scattered mines
in southern Iowa, together with Put
nam county, Missouri. The coal is
procured by mining-not by blasting
from the solid, and as both pick work
and machine work are employed, the
task of making an agreement is often
a mighty one. Another element that
enters into the matter is that several
mines located on the G. B. & K. G..
track, some in Iowa and, some in Mis-
souri,, are com PEELED to pay on a diff
ferent basis according to the state
Missouri has state law demanding
mine run scale only, while Iowa has
none and the miners have never been
able to get the operators to agree to
that system. Hence, when the first
district is settled the members of the
Joint conference always feel that the
work is almost half done.
Second and Third.
At noon today the members OF the
sub-scale committee had prepared the
details Of the wage agreement for the
second and third sub-districts the for
ner including Wapello, Mahaska, Mon
roe, Lucas and Keokuk counties ant
the lattel Jasper, Polk and Warner
counties. It is probable that the pro
posed scale for the fourth district will
be completed this afternoon and thu
subcommittee report to the join
scale committee, SO that report cal
he made TO the joint conference som
time tomorrow.
Agree on Miners Proposition.
Yesterday the entire morning wa
spent in discussing the main points c
difference and both sides had agree
upon the miners proposition for
$3.50. with the reduction of 5.55 pc
cent on all men now drawing Sl.S0,prt
7vided it does not bring them belo'
$3.50. In fact, the operators did nc
make known their willingness to a.
cept this proposition until the seal
committee met, after o'clock in tn
afternoon When the announceme1
was made however, the field was lie
clear for settlement and all doub,
as to the ability of the present COME
ence to make scale vanished.
Sub Scale Committee Increased.
The sub scale committee was We
terday increased by consent of bot
sizes and it now consists of eight o
orators and eight miners, the membel
being as follows:
VI ~
tumwa. John P. Reese of Abba, E
Smith of Des Moines. L. L. Lodwic
of Ottumwa, Alex. Dargavel of Cente
vile, B. H. Johnston Of Mendoza, M
Samuel Mcclure Of Lehigh and Be
Buxton of Buxton:
Miners - John P. White and Edw
Perry of Oskaloosa, John F. Ream
Beacon, Joseph Sharp of Brazil, w
liam Heslop of Lehigh, Thos. Compor'
of Cincinnati, Philip Jones of Cola
!, and David Loney of Fraser.
Conventions Probable Action.
Although some of the miners al
operators as we'll are disappointt
with the scale as arranged it is We
improbable that any serious troub
will be met by the scale committee
securing final ratification. The miner
scale committee has been empower
to make scale and the delegat
will be bound to accept 1t by their q
ton in SO authorizing their committe
The action of the sub scale commit
will be similarly received by the sea
committee as a, whole. The object
every move noWSis to shorten the tin