Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-12
IOWA OPERATORS AND MINERS
WILL MAKE SCALE ON
1908 BASIS
'.J0CKEYING" is ENDED
The Playing For Time by the Opera
tors Has Been Brought to Close
by the Concession to the Main De
mands Of the Miners.

Des Moines, April 11.--(SpeciaD-
The Iowa coal operators today agreed
to negotiate scale for the coming
two years with the 1903 wage scale as
a basis, and this morning in joint con-
ference they withdrew the demand
made yesterday afternoon Of the min
ers. This demand was in the form Of
a resolution which provided that If the
central competitive fields scale shall
be lower than the 1903 scale the Iowa
scale shall be made to conform with 1t.
This could not be granted by the Iowa
miners because of the instructions
they have from their national organi-
zation, and consequently it was with
drawn this morning and the joint con-
ference got down to, real business for
the first time since it convened last
week.
"Jockeying" Is Finished.
This latest move in the Iowa situa-
tion means that the "jockeying" on
the part of the operators has come to
an end. Though they have not admit
ted it openly before, the Iowa coal op-
orators have known since the first of
the month that they would have to
come to the miners terms in so far as
the scale of 1903 is concerned. But
they have held out for the moral effect
it would have upon the miners when
the time should come for making the
1906-7 scale, That time has now come
and the two sides to the negotiations
understand each other fully. The stu
alton is just this:
The Exact Situation
The operators will agree to pay
, the scale OF wages provided by the
scale of 1908, 5.55 per cent higher
than the wages Of 1905, but they
will insist that the miners give
assurance of a definite character
that the employees at every Iowa
mine will live up to the letter of
the agreement and will not absent
themselves from work except at
such times as provided in that
agreement.
The miners realize that the op- I
orators are making a considerable
concession when they agree to pay
the 1908 scale and they are willing
to do their part by making the
agreement strong with regard to
the manner in which it shall be
lived up, to by the miners during
the two years while 1t shall govern
the Iowa mining conditions.
Both sides want to bring about
a resumption of work as early as
possible, and neither side wants to
see the end of the admirable sys-
tenn of Joint conferences which has
existed for several years in Iowa
| to the entire satisfaction Of both
sides. The officials of the miners
| are depended upon by the opera
tors to. see that the conditions are
| made better for. the employers in
return for the concession by the
! latter as to the wage scale.
/ Scale Committee In Session.
/ This afternoon, when the joint cor
ference convened, the operators state
their position and the joint committe
went into session Immediately Th
work in this body will be rushed nov
that we'll understood basis has bee
decided upon and the people of low
may expect to see resumption of Goa
mining within a few weeks.
/ Anthracite Committee Meets.
New York. April 1.-THE genera
scale committee of the anthracite min
workers went into executive sessio
49,