Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-28
MINERS CONFERENCE
Joint Meeting Today for Final
Effort
FOR THE WAGE AGREEMENT
Delegates Manifestly Indifferent to
Sequence.
THE SITUATION Is UNCHANGED
Operators and Delegates Engaged in
Controversies Over Their ReIa-
tive Interests.
FOR THE WAGE AGREEMENT
THE SITUATION Is UNCHANGED


Joint conference of the btmunous coal
operators and miners of the central can,
petitfve district met today IN what was
generally understood to be a final effort ia
reach an agreement on the wage scale In
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Western Penn
syiVania. Since the adjournment Yesterday
afternoon no move has been made nv aitber
side and the deadlock apparently was as
hrm as al any previous time. There were
no indications that a strike could be avert
ed. G. W. Traer, the chairman announced
that the question was on the substitute mo-
lon offered by j. Fl. Winder 10 reaff1rno
the present wage scale to include the cost
Oh mining, loading. shooting and timbering.
An ONO delegate spoke briefly In reply to
statement made yesterday by Mr.. II. l..
chapman of Ohio regarding local condi-
uons in Jackson county Ohio.
"A; j. Meoreshead of the Illinois operators
spoke Irst Tor the operators. He said the
operators would be pleased to pay the min
ers an increase in wages but it was a husi
ness lmpossibility at this time NO onera-
tof VIII go farther than / will To meet our
empioyes, continued Mr. Mooreshead .'It
may ma De true that in some part of the coun-
Try, western Pennsylvania for Instance
they may be able to pay an advance b1It
know that in Illinois it is impossible
Provoked Laughter.
He said miners in the thick vef, !, r1,t
noiS eouia earn from eight to ten dollars
per day This statement was received bv
the miners with laughter. which bro,,e,,t
a rebuke from the chair
Mr.. Mooreshead referred To tbe s+o,a,.-
decline In the price of coal and said.
we IN Illinois believe that the time hoe
come TO sever this interstate agreement
we, we had better be employed in meeting
~, WIN n. our own miners and put In our time
IN our own state. 1 believe better results
could come The gentlemen from Penn
syiVanla and from Ohio have different
market conditions, different coal, almost
everything different from us in Illinois
Herman c. Perry. president OF the Illi
nois miners, replied to Mr. Mooreshead
Mr.. Perry said he was one of those oner
ators VINO signed the scale ard then paid
his miners seven cents less. He insisted
that the time of the conference should NOT
be taken up with trivial matters we
are like lot of CHILDREN he said Quar-
reilng as to who has the biggest apple"
Vice President Lewis Opinion.
Vice President Lewis of the mine work
ers replied to some of the statements
made by operators concerning Illinois con-
ditions. He referred especially to the
shot-ffrers' law. defending the measure as
one that had proved its value by the lives
of the miners it had saved
MIR. II. N Taylor of the Illinois miners,
contradicted a statement made by Mr..
Lewis, that the cost to the operators on ac-
count of the Shot-firers' law was less than
one cent per ton. He said the shot-firers'
law was not yet in full force, yet its effect
was an unjust discrimination against the
Illinois operators. Said he: eff We were not
protected oy a supplementary contract,
which expires April /. We would have SUI
fered a still greater extent, and after the
expiration OF this contract, unless we have
relief. ii will be almost impossible to oper
ate our mines on account of the increased
cost
The Market Conditions.
r. r. Hammond of the Illinois operators
discussed market conditions. He said the
ramifications of the coal situation were so
complicated that the public would never be
able 10 understand them until they had
been examined by a commission, and so far
as he was concerned he was willing 10 leave
the differences to such commission.
He said the operators profits were not
such as to warrant a further increase. Il
got into the coal business by accident. l
would not have gone into II d all if l had
known much about II as l do now. /
know something of the influences that have
been brought to bear on this situation /
say frankly that if you cannot convince me
by argument you cannot convince me by
force will close my mines forever
rather than be forced to do anything
against my Judgment
President Mitchell Of the miners replied
to Mr. Hammond.
''If Mr. Hammond said he, wants to
close his coal companies forever, he VIII
find us waiting when he wants to open
them again"
This statement was loudly applauded by
the miners.