The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-27
MAKE PLANS FOR COAL STRIKE
WHILE MITCHELL'S INDIGESTION
DEADLOCKS THE CONVENTION.
The Railroads Have begun TO store Coal
and The BituminOus Operators Are Pre-
pairing 10 Close UP Their Mines-No
Anthracite Truce Yet Arranged For.

pairing 10 Close Up Their Mines-No
Anthracite Truce Yet Arranged For.
INDIANAPOLIS, March 2o.-2The operators
have finally and most positively rejected
the demands Of the miners for an increase
in wages and are waiting to know il their
offer to readopt the present scale is to be
accepted. Under that scale, they are
making double the wages they made ten
years ago, far more than the increase in
the cost OF living justifes. The question
Is will Mitchell accept or reject our offer
or refer it to the miners convention to DO
rejected or accepted? Robbins and Nit
chell are walking the floor. Their oom-
pact is a lead letter. If our offer is ao-
copied, we work; if it is rejected, the mines
will be idle"
1t was in this way that one of the largest
operators Of Indiana sized up the situation
when the joint scale conference adjourned
this afternoon to meet again tomorrow.
In the meantime, however, agents of Presi-
dent Mitchell were busy among the miners
trying to discover whether they would
permit a partial scale TO be made with Presi-
dent Robbins Of the Pittsburg Coal Conn
pany and, If not. whether they would accept
the present scale and remain at work.
Neither proposition is agreeable to the
majority Of the delegates, and il either is
submitted to them, all the chances are in
favor of it's rejection. The situation ap-
pears to be what it was defined by an opera
tor in the scale committee to-day when he
addressed President Mitchell.
"Our men, " said he, were satisfied till
you began this agitation for an increase IN
wages. Now it is doubtful If they would
accept anything in reason till they have
passed through a strike"
Though the discussions in the joint scale
committee meetings to-day were animated;
they lacked the bitterness OF the sessions
last week, and the parties to the triangular
controversy were in better humor with each
other, but none the less determined. The
operators of Ohio, indiana and Illinois are
now assured that Robbins will not be per-
mitted to work his mines on the scale OF
1908, and they are willing for him and
Mitchell to solve the problem which they
have made as best they can.
There is not a question in the mind of
any operator but that the miners in the
three States of the competitive district
would remain at work on the present scale
If by any chance the Robbins-Mitch CON-
pact could be carried through, and they
are willing to wait for the final develop
ments which will disrupt the conference.
The miners delegates have been notified
that many merchants in the mining districts
of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio are with
drawing credit from the miners and are
demanding settlements of accounts now
due, while in a few cases evictions are
tbraatapal 10 rapt ic MT mid 1hia nOn-
dition is adding to the restlessness Of the
miners, and there is a strong demand that
the leaders either agree on a scale or adjourn
and let the delegates go to their homes.
There are 900 of them here, and the con-
vention Is costing the organization between
SIS, 900 and s6,O 600 a day. This looks to many
like a useless waste OF money, but Mitchell
refuses to take the responsibility of re-
ferring the operators proposition to the
general convention, and there is nothing
for the delegates to do but wait.
Many of the railroads are storing coal,
and the operators assert that thousands
Of tons shipped to dealers in various cities
are going into the bins OF the railroad
companies. They say they are getting
the market price for this coal, but the fact
that it is being held by the railroads, who
justify the seizures or the ground of neces-
sity, is causing them much trouble and
demoralizing the trade. Representatives
of the railroads nave been here watching
the convention and they notified the COM
panies on Friday that they had better be-
gin to store coal for a strike.
The bituminous mine owners are also pre-
pairing for what they regard now as in
evitable. They are employing guards for
their mines and are arranging where pos
sible to keep the engineers at their mines
and the pumps working. The engineers
belong to the miners organization, but 1t is
said that the miners will permit them to
work when their labor is limited to keep
ing the mines from filing up with water,
the miners being usually interested with
the operators in preserving the properties
from serious injury.
Speaking of the situation in the anthracite
fields, President Mitchell said to-day that
no arrangements had beel made, or were
o being made, to continue the anthracite
miners at work under the award OF the
strike commission in the event that April
/ came and found no working agreement
perfected. 1t would be impossible now
TO make any agreement between this and
April 1, and the miners chief spoke as II
the anthracite miners would not work q
day longer than the present agreement
lasts. The members Of the anthracite sub
scale committee are now here, but Mitchell
refused to say hat the question Of con-
tinuing work would be considered
HAVE NOW AN EIGHT HOUR DAY
President Wilcox Points Out FaIIacies in
tho Goal Nltners, nemande