Arizona republican., 1906-03-25
Nothing for Joint Committee to do but Re-
 port That Gloomy Fact
The Only Question is Whether Miners Will be Al lowed to go to Work in Districts Where Their De mands Met

Indianapolis, March 24.-After being in joint conference through committees since Tuesday afternoon, the coal operators and miners at the central competitive district consisting of IIIi- nois. Indiana, Ohio and western Penn sylvania and those of the southwestern district composed of Missouri, Kansas. Texas, Arkansas and Indian Territory are no nearer an agreement upon d wage scale to go into effect in one week than they were when the former joint conference adjourned in disagreement on Feb. 2.
 The present wage scale expires next Saturday and unless an agreement is reached hy the miners and operators before that time 225,OO0 union bitum- inous miners will be called from the mines in the states named.
 The joint scale committee of the central competitive district adjourned this afternoon after being in session four days to meet on Monday morning. when motion to report a disagree ment will be offered and it is believed will be carried. The session of the joint conference to receive this report will, according to the present program be called to meet Monda.- afternoon.
 During the four days the operators and miners have been in conference not motion or proposition offered b. either side upon the wage scale has been adopted. In every case where
 proposition was offered, it has been
 flatly refused.
 The operators have been confronted
 with serious dissensions in their own
 ranks. F. [. Robbins of the western Pennsylvania operators has agreed to pay an advance of 5.55 per cent, which
 is the demand made by the miners, but the operator in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio have firmly refused to pay any advance.
 Under the rules of the joint commit tee the votes of both operators and
 miners must be recorded as units and
 this division of the operators has re suited in the defeat of every motion not favorable to all of them.
 The meetings of the joint scale com mittee have been marked by many bit ter personalities between the operators. MT Robbins has announcd that he in tends to pay the increase in wages ask ed by the miners not only in the mines of the Pittsburg Coal company, of which he is president. but also in his own mines in western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. Independent opera tors in western Pennsylvania represent ed by c. A. MagoOn have announced through him, that they will pay the ad- vance # MT. Robbins doos. Other in dependent mine owners have also sig nified their intention to pay the ad- l vance if those in their districts do so. ] Those of Illinois. Indiana and Ohio de |, clare they cannot afford to pay any ad- vance whatever and President Mitchell of the mine workers has firmly declar- ed that no settlement will be made un- ! less an advance in wages is given.
 Whether the officers of the mine work ] CTS 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 70 get President Mitchell Of the mine workers to answer. The only expres- | sion MT Mitchell has made on the sub ! ject was today, when he remarked tn | committee meeting that the course the operators were taking might bring that 1 solution about. It is certain that the