The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-09-26
EXTINCTION OF
MINERS UNION
Is Being Planned by Huge Com.
bine OF Coal Operators
A GIGANTIC LOCKOUT
WILL BE DECLARED BY BOTH
THE BITuMlNous AND AN
THRAciTE MEN TO FORCE
A BIG CUT.

Pittsburg Penn, September 25.-On
April /, 1906, every coal mine In Penn
sylyana, Ohio. Indiana, Illinois. West
Virginia and part of Kentucky viii
close down for an indefinite period.
a meeting of the coal operators of all
these states has been called to take
place November % at Chicago, when
plane viii be completed for the great.
est lockout in the history OF the world.
Il is proposed to Shut down the mines
and TO crush the United Mine Work
ere oi America as an organization or
elss to rec them TO accept a reduc.
tion ol from 10 10 Is cents a ton on the
PRESENT mining rate. This Is the pro-
gram which Is to be carried out IL
the eastern contingent or the anthra-
cite operators can bring 1t about. The
bitum none coal operators faYs ad-
tanc.ng the price Of coal BY closing
icwn the mines TO limit the output.
Herman Justi. commissioners for the
Illino Coal Operators Association.
sent out the call. This win be the
first time the anthracite caal opera
tors will have entere,l into an agree
ment with the bituminous coal opera
lfrw The object Of this Is TO tilie the
Increasing growth Of unionism in the
| EASTERN mines.
There exists an agreement among
ths Western Pennsylvania, Ohio. Irdi-
ana and Illinois coal operators known
~ the interstate agreement, whereby
he pcrators annually meet the united
nine workers Of the various districts
md settle on mining rate for the
gea..'.
/ The anthracite coal operators are
sngistiug to deal with the mtlaers
union and have about 10000 miners
| mpoyail IN eastern Pennsylvania
under individual contracts. To kill
the miEers IN on the anthracite em-
afolsrs must have the assistance uf
| HE soft coal operators of the west
All tho wage Gales In the states
named expire April lin fact, nearly
III the mining scales OF this country
axpito on hat date II ii tto meet this
crisis that the meeting has been cali
sd in Chicago In November The coal
miners are getting better wages than
ever in the history OF the industry,
taking working facilities into consul
erat on. The Interstate price IL based
on 30 cents per ton fer coal mined
and run over an inch and one quarter
screen. Some OF the western coal
operators want this reduced 10 10
cents a ton, and the coal miners win
| se met with this proposition next Jan
lafy at the wage conference.
4 The eastern coal operators will NOT
be represented AT this gathering. OE
course, the coal miners representa-.
tives will refuse to accept the reduc
tion, and the mines win be closed
down until either side is starved out
IL AS a result, the anthracite coal on
t orators have begun piling up coal and
will do so all winter. The soft coal
! praiucers win I'LL their docks at boti
ends Of the lakes and will load every
boat barge and scow obtainable witt
coal between now and April /. The
! operators have reached an understand
Ing whereby no contracts are to bt
accepted for coal between now ami
April THAT Is, for delivery aftel
april /. 1t Is expected that on tha
late coal will advance at least 81
cents ten. This Is where the Goa
operators will benefit and will reall,
make more money than by operatin:
their plants.
Several big Pittsburg concerns hav,
been at their wits end 10 make con
tracts for fuel beyond April /. withou
being able to place coatraci ror
ton Of coal Storage facilities canno
/ be had en- short notice and the con
Y sumers will be forced to pay the pric,
Y demanded by the operators, who will
hold their surplus coal from now on
y Francs T. Robbins, president Of thl
. pittsburg Coal Company. who is ais,
i chairman OF the interstate agreement
X Is probably the best authority on tn,
situation The companies be head,
Y mine and ship more coal than th'
e Philadelphia and Reading. the Fri,
Il and the Lackawanna railroads com
IS bined.