New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-03
COAL STRIKE LIKELY.
WAGE scale NOT FIXED.
Miners Reject Plan to Continue
Present agreement.

indianapolis. Feb 2.-With prospects pointing
to a strike of $4,000 coal miners. unless the
present deadlock is broken by some unforeseen
influence the national convention OF the Unlteo
Mine Workers OF America adjourned this after
noon. after the dissolution, without reaching a
settlement of a wage scale, of the joint confer
ence of operators and miners of the central and
southwestern districts.
President John Mitchell Of the miners union
advised the delegates to go home and look to the
securing of a defence fund. in view of possible
industrial strike between miners and operators.
the miners having refused TO renew the present
wage scale and the operators having refused 10
grant increase in wages.
In an interview this afternoon President John
Mitchell said:
II is true that never in the history of this
country has a strike Of such far-reachng effect
been threatened. 1t means national suspension
tion of mining contracts. March 81. and II
includes the anthracite districts. l do not know
whether this action will have any effect on the
meeting of the anthracite miners and operators
on February Is. but it is the plan now to meet
the anthracite operators at that time
According TO figures given out by the ma
tional officers of the miners organization. the
expected strike, if there be one, TO bring out
about 100. 600 union miners in West Virginia
and Pennsylvania, with the 450, 900 union miners
OF the 450 900 union that would be affected.
10000 will be out in the anthracite regions
IS, 600 in the Pennsylvania bituminous district
3S 900 in Ohio 1900 in Indiana $4,000 in Illinois.
49, 600 in Iowa, 10000 in West Virginia, 5000 in
Michigan and approximately $1,000 in Kansas,
Missouri Texas. Indian Territory and Arkansas.
The apparent determination of both operators
and miners indicates that neither will make
overtures to the other for further negotiations
and as indicated by the speeches of both the
radicals and the conservatives of both organlza-
tons at the joint conference. 1t is probable tnao
the $4,000 men controlled by the United Mine
Workers will walk out of the mines in every
part of the United States on April /
There have been ntimations. but no asser-
tons, that the President Of the United States
and the National Civic Federation may be asked
to set in motion negotiations looking to a re-
habilitation of the joint agreement, or at least
a discussion Of some possible means of bringing
the operators and the miners together for fur
ther negotiations
To the motion made by F. L. Robbins, the
spokesman for the operators, that the present
wage scale be continued the operators of Ohio.
Indiana and Pennsylvania voted for the mo-
ton; Illinois operators declined to vote. The
miners of Ohio Indiana and Illinois voted
against the proposition.
Patrick Dolan. president of the Pennsylvania
miners, voted his State for the proposltlon'
which caused an uproar among the miners.
The motion to adjourn sine die was made by
T. L Robbins Immediately following the an
nouncement that the proposition of the op-
orators as embodied in his motion had been de-
feated.
President Mitchell has declared that under
no circumstances would the miners accept any
agreement that did not carry with it an increase
in wages, and the miners convention has unani-
mously. with the exception of three votes. in
dorsed the action of the joint scale committee.
which refused the proposition Of the operators
that the present wage scale be continued.