Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-28
/ THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY.

IN TIE COAL MINING INDUSTRY.
III The I.ai'wav Weld. Phila-
S3elphia PAGER published in the
Wnterests Of the rt;l-oads of the
Hountry and the kindred indus
jk5ries, among tho foremost Of which
81 that of coal mining. takes very pes
hsinistic view of the future of the coal
producing business in both the eastern
anthracite field and il the competitive
Held of the bituminous producing cen
trail field. These latter states are Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and western Pennsyl-
vaaia. In leading e5iteri'l this week
Z the Railway W3rl1 nrct3hesies strike
in tho anthracite field and then goes on
to say:
1T is in the saf-. coal fields of the
country, however, where danger must
Z he looked fo-. In the central competi-
( tive territory Of western Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois in particular,
there is great present daager of a
breaking down of the joint conference
machinery erected through years of
strenuous endeavor on the part of both
mine workers and operators.
Following the strike Of the anth-a-
cite mine workers in 1902 the addition
al demand upon soft coal mines for
fuel to supply the shortage caused by
the stoppage of hard COIL production
caused so many workings to be ex.,
tended and new mines ooened that
there resulted an over supply of this
4 commodity when the anthracite mines
resumed their normal OUTPUT. This
threw the soft coal industry into per-
Tod of depression, naturally accom-
5 panied by low prices and very narrow
Z profits These forced five oer cent
reduction in wages upon the mine en-
ployes of Ohio, Indiana. Illinois and
western Pennsylvania through the ia
terstate joint conference in 1904. which
reduction the United Mine Workers of
America had the greatest difficulty in
Inducing the mine employees of those
states to accept and to continue at
work. Not only have the mine work
ers in these states received relatively
4 less wages the past two years but they
have worked less number of days,
still further reducing their total ave-
rage yearly earnings.
with general industrial conditions
in the central competitive territory not
rluch improved over 1904 the inter-
S state joint conference meets at Indian
4 apolis in February wit. the operators
determined upon demanding further
reduction in wages. They claim that
with the United Mine Workers unable
to organize West Virginia and to bring
that state up to relatively higher u.ion
: wages which the other central com
petitive coal states pay to their mine
workers, it is impossible for the opera
tors in the interstate joint conference
Z to continue paying union wages and at
the same time meet the competition of
the West Virginia operators. With
President Mitchell and other leaders OF
the United Mine Workers unalterably
opposed to accepting another reduction
in wages for the mine employees, there
is great danger not only that the inter
state joint conference machinery will
break in pieces but that the United
Mine Workers Of America NAV follow
the road travelled by SO many of it's pre-
decessors and pass out of existence.
This will not happen, of course, until
the best and last efforts of the leaders
of the miners union will have been eX-
4 hausted in the conduct of strike in
the hope of safely crossing the Rubi-
con-
While this may be true view of the
that there will be a decrease of wages
in the competitive field OF which Indi-
ana forms the center. While the Iowa
miners and operators arejnot governed
directly by the agreements formulated
; in indianapolis, the effect of these
agreements is felt in the joint confer
ences of the miners and operators of
this state, which follow the Indianapo-
lis conferences. The Iowa operators
very properly urge the contention that
they cannot compete successfully with
the operators of the states farther east
II they must pay more in comparison
for the production of their coal. and the
Iowa miners are as firm in their de-
mands for wages which will compare
favorably with those drawn by the
miners in the eastern field. Conse-
q quently, the prospect in tina. field is Of
much interest to the Iowa coal inter
ests
I An official of the Iowa branch Of the
United Mine Workers. man who has
splendid opportunity TO observe condi-
1 tons in the trade and the industry in
4 general throughout the country de-
clared in an interview /, few days ago
that in his opinion there is ittie prom
Use of trouble in the bltuminors field,
especially in Iowa, this year. Neither
the miners nor the operators of this
field have formulated the demands
they expect to make in joint confer