The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-08
NO WAGE INCREASE
ILLINOIS MINE OPERATORS MEET
 IN CHICAGO.
Declare that They Prefer a strike to Granting q Raise In Pay to the Local Mine
 Workers.

Chicago, March 7.--No concessions
 will be made by the Illinois Coal Opera | tors Association to the United Mine | Workers which Is seeking an increase l in pay for It's members This was de- | cided upon today at an executive meet | ing of the operators. who adopted res | olutions declaring their willingness to l face the threatened strike, April l 1 rather than grant the demands of the miners.
 | The meeting was held for the purpose | of considering a call made for joint | meeting of the operators and miners | of the States of Illinois. Indiana and | Western Pennsylvania at Indianapolis, March IS, in an effort to make a sec ond attempt to formulate scale of wages and conditions of labor for the year ending March 31. 1907, The res- olutions follow:
 1. We accept the invitation to the Indianapolis meeting, but We are op- posed to any advance in wages and will demand that the principles of uniform ity shall be put into practice in the four competitive States.
 2. That the mining rate in Illinois shall be so changed as to re-establish the proper competitive interstate min ing rate which Is now out of line by reason of the shot firers law, which became effective in this State last July.
 a. That a clause be inserted In the contract that the operators be given indemnity by the miners for the loss sustained by reason of. mines being thrown idle in violation of the existing agreement when strikes were called in Illinois owing to the controversy over the shot firers law.
 4. That should be contract be entered into at the Indian apons meeting, said contract shall con tain clause to the effect that such contract Is based upon existing min ing laws and should laws be enacted during the term of the contract af- fecting the operating cost of produc- tion the mining rate shall be increased or decreased so as to maintain the proper equity of such contract dur ing it's existence.
 5. That failing to secure such a contract provisions at the proposed in- terstate meeting. we will refuse to be party to any agreement that may be made by the convention.
 Anxious for a Settlement.
 Philadelphia. March 7.---The retail coal dealers cf Baltimore will petition the operators and coal carrying roads to come to an amicable settlement with the anthracite miners before the ex- piration of the strike commission award on April 1. This action was decided upon at a meeting of the Phil- adelphia Coal Exchange and d commis- sion of i've has prepared the following resolutions. copies of which are to be forwarded to the officials Of all the railroads. the mining companies as well as the coal miners association:
 We know from previous experience that strike Is not only q great loss to the people at large by causing higher price for fuel, but 1t is also serious and direct loss to the coal merchants, due to the curtJhment Jt production during the continuance ot such strike.
 "We call upon the officials of both the railroads and mining companies and upon the officials of the coal min CTS association asking that they use every endeavor to avert the impend- Ing strike and to use arbitration as a final resort rather than proceed to extreme measures