The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-25
GREAT STRIKE
SEEMS CERTAIN
Joint Conference of Operators and
Miners Unable to Come to
an Agreement.
ADJOURNED UNTIL MONDAY
OUTLOOK FOR PEACE is NOT
FLATTERING.

Indianapolis. March 24.-After being
in joint conference through committee
since Tuesday afternoon The coal oper-
ators and miners of the central COM
petitive district consisting of Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio and Western Pennsylva-
MIA and those Of the southwestern dis
tTict composed of Missouri, Kansas.
Texas. Arkansas and Indian Territory
are no nearer an agreement uDOn a
wage scale to go into effect in one week
than they were when the former Joint
conference adjourned in disagreement
on Feb. q.
The present wage scale expires next
Saturday. and unless an agreement is
reached by the miners and operators
before that time 225,0 union bitumi-
nous miners will be called from the
mines in the states named
Adjourned Till Monday.
The joint scale committee Of the CEN
trail competitive district adjourned this
afternoon after being in session four
days to meet Monday morning. when a
motion to report a disag reement will be
offered and it is believed will be car
r1ed- The session of the Joint confer
ence to receive this report will. accord
ing to the present programme, be called
TO meet Monday afternoon.
During the four days the operators
and miners have been in conference not
motion or proposition offered by
either side upon the wage scale has
been adopted. In every case where a
proposition was offered it has been
fatty refused.
Robbins Stands Alone.
The operators have been confronted
with serious dissensions I'm their own
ranks. F. L. Robbins of The Western
Pennsylvania operators. has agreed to
pay an advance Of $50 per cent. which
is the demand made by the miners, but
the operators i'm Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio have firmly refused TO pay an
advance. Under the rules of the Joint
committee the votes of both operators
and miners must be recorded as units
and this division of the operators has
resulted In the defeat of every motion
not favorable to all of them.
VIII Pay the Advance.
The meetings of the joint scale COM
mittee have been marked by many BIT
ter personalities between the operators
Mr.. Robbins has announced that he in
tends to pay the increase in wages asked
by the miners not only in the mines of
the Pittsburg Coal company. of which
he is president, but also in his own
mines I'm Western Pennsylvania. Ohio
and Illinois. Independent operators I'm
Western Pennsylvania, represented by
G. A. Magoon, have announced through
him that they will pay the advance if
Mr. Robbins does. Other independent
mine owners have also signified their
intention to pay the advance if those
in their districts do so.
N.raoF AfFord - DaU
Those of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
declare they cannot afford to pay any
advance whatever, and President
Mitchell of the Mine Workers has firm
ly declared that no settlement will be |
made unless an advance in wages is |
given. Whether the officers of the |
Mine Workers will allow the miners !
to sign the scale and go to work in |
districts where the advance is allowed |
is a question that the operators have |
tried in vain to get President Mitchell /
of the Mine Workers to answer. The /
only expression Mr.. Mitchell has made /
on the subject was today when he re- /
marked in the committee meeting that /
the course the operators were taking /
might bring that situation about.
One Out, All Out.
1t is certain that the national con-
vention, which must ratify any action /
taken by the joint conference, would /
not allow any district to sign the Joint /
scale and to work with the other dis |
tTicts idle, even if such act were in /
dorsed by the national officers
1t is freely stated that both operators /
and miners are playing a waiting game /
as each side desires to throw upon the /
other the responsibility for a strike.
When the joint scale committee re- /
ports disagreement to the joint con- /
ference the fight will be renewed upon 1
the floor, and the finality will then soon
be reached.
The operators and miners of the /
southwestern district will determine
their position after the decision in the /
central competitive district has been /
concluded.