The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01
SOFT COAL STRIKE ABORTIVR
EXPECTED THAT 1903 SCALE WILL
COVER HALF THE TONNAGE.
Mitchell Confident That All the BituminOus
Operators VIII Give In-LeadeFS De
clare Against LawIessnesS All Penn
syIyania Mines TO Keep nj Work.

clare Against LawIessness - All Penn.
HyIyanIa Mines TO Keep At Work.
INDIANAPOLIS, March 31.-President
Mitchell of the United Mine Workers Ia
taking a hopeful view Of the situation In
the bituminous coal fields tonight, and he
and other national officers seem to be con-
fdent that self-protection will compel all
the operators to sign the 1908 scale in a few
days.
Bennett Brown, who owns a number oil
mines in southern Illinois, was at the miners
headquarters to-day and is reported TO
have offered to sign the scale. kilograms
we're received from Iowa, Kentucky and
southern Indiana operators saying that
they were ready to agree to the scale ana
asking when arrangements for signing could
be made.
At headqu rter1 it wa admitted maj
these ope at ~ represent but u small p'o-
portion Of those who VIII bs affected by
the walkout, but Pre- 4ident Mitchell said
he was confident tina. 80 per cent OF
the soft coal tonnage is represented by
operators WIN wish to sign the scale. The
international executive board was in ses-
sion several hours to-day, considering de-
tails Of the strike, and 1t is officially an
nounced that ever possible precautlon
will b. taken against andaIlsm.
whatever else may occur, said one Of
the board members to-day, I'VE are de-
termined thai there shall be no laWlessness
on the part Of the miners and none on the
part of Others, if We can prevent it
He added that the struggle might be
long or it might he OF short duration but
the miners expect to resume their relations
with the operators some time and there
should be no excuse for bitterness,
President Mitchell had expected to leave
for the East tonight but changed his
plans at a late hour and he and the Shamo-
kin scale committee will leave for New
York tomorrow.
Mitchell was in better spirits tonight
than he has been for a week and this was
due to the fact that some operators had
notified him of their acceptance OF the
scale.
The demands to be made upon the an
thraclte operators have been modified con-
siderably. and il any considerable number
OF operators sign the new scale in the next
few days, the miners will feel justified in
standing firmly by them 1t was, reported
at headuuar ter5 to-day that Illinois miners,
who have the largest defence fund OF any
district organization, told Mitchell that he
was at liberty to draw upon it. for any
amount that light be needed to conduct
a strike either in the East or West. 1t is
asserted that fund Of the Illinois miners
aggregates nearly 81 600, 900, including the
district and local union funds
ALTOONA, Pa, March 9i.-The Berwind
White Coal Mining Company, with Il ca
paoity of 100000 tons annually, posted
notices at Windber to-day to the effect
that, beginning April 2, it would restore
the wage rate paid in 1908. This means
al advance Of four cents a ton ON the pick
mining rate and a corresponding increase
In the wages Of all classes of labor en-
ployed in and about the mines.
There was great rejoicing in Windber
when the notices were posted as the increase
means $4,000 a year additional wages to
the men. All the mines of the company
will start on full time under the new wage
rate Monday. The Berwind White Com.
pany, which is the largest in the central
Pennsylvania field, has been the leader in
wage rates and also invariably the first
concern to grant the wage advances agreed
upon by it's competitors.
PITTsBURG, March 3l.-There was almost
a riot at the meeting of the district conven-
ton OF the United Mine Workers this morn
ing when Patrick Dolan, the deposed presi-
dent, just back from the Indianapolis con-
~vention, tried to take charge OF the meet
ing. Friends Of the deposed president
interfered and quieted him. The session
adjourned to meet again on Tuesday.
D0lan declared tfat lie would preside tnen.
President +. l.. Robbins of the Pittsburg
Coal Company got back from Indianapolis
this morning and made the positive state
ment that all the mines Of the coal COM
pany would be in operation Tuesday.
"The action Of the miners convention
Yesterday" he said. shows that the con-
servative element Is increasing. Their
good judgment averted a threatened great
Industrial strike. All the mines in the
Pittsburg district will be operated. This
alone is one-third Of the total capacity Of
the central competitive district. In ad-
dition a substantial minority Of the mines
In Indiana and Illinois will he put into
operation. 30 that fully SO per cent. Of the
production will continue. Our mines In
Ohio and Illinois will be among those operat-
Ing
company will suspend operations for thirty
days or for any other period. Such a step
has not even been thought Of. Monday
next is the miners eight hour holiday,
when all mines are closed, but Tuesday
morning will find the mines in operation"
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 9l.-Estimates
to-day place the number OF miners who
will probably strike in Ohio on Monday at
between IS 600 and 0,OCO, There are about
%, 1000 soft coal miners In Ohio. In the
Massilon district the miners declare that
they will go out Monday as ordered. The
Hooking Valley miners are workingto-day,
but expect orders to strike by Monday.
DIES MONIES, la, March 8l.-At a Joint
session of Iowa mine workers and opera
tors to-day scale committees were appointed
to meet in Des Moines next Tuesday to agree
upon the wage scale for the next two years.
The action means that the 1908 scale will
probably he accepted by the perator
Of Iowa, with onlyt the details to be arranged,