Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-04-05
Joint Seal Committee Ad-
jOurnS Sine Die.
COULD NOT AGREE.
Anthracite Miners Scale Committee
Orders a Suspension of Work,
Beginning April 2.

indianapolis, Ind.--Without agree
ment on a wage scale, the con
ferences of bituminous coal operators
and miners of the central competi-
tive district adjourned sine die Thurs
day, leaving affairs in such a condi-
ton that a strike of 275, 900 miners
seems probable at the expiration of
the present scale Saturday, March 81.
The disagreement came after
struggle lasting ten days and disrupts
the inter state agreement which has
existed since 1898 between operators
and miners, through which wage
scales and other differences have been
adjusted.
The final vote in the central con
ference competitive field, on which
other districts base their settlement,
was on a motion offered by President
Mitchell. of the United Mine Work
ers, to restore for two years the wage
scale of 1908, which would have been
an increase in wages of 5.55 per cent
The operators of Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio voted against the proposal and
defeated it. The disruption of the
conference followed. Operators of
western Pennsylvania and the miners
of four states voted for the proposal
f. L. Robbins and other operators
representing about one-third of the
coal production of western Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. of
fered to pay the advance and urged
the miners to accept this advance and
continue work in their mines. even
though the other mines in the four
states should be idle.
The convention of miners Friday
will decide whether to permit this or
not or demand that all miners sus-
pend work until all have been paid
the advance.
The anthracite miners scale com
mittee Thursday night issued orders
for a total suspension of mining in
the three anthracite districts begin
ming Monday Morning, April 2. The
committee informed President Baer
that the miners scale committee will
meet the operators scale committee
in New York City on Tuesday, April 3.
The coal operators of Illinois, In
diana and Ohio and those of western
Pennsylvania who have opposed the
payment of an increase in wages to
the bituminOus coal miners, adopted
the following resolutions in executive
session:
Resolved, that we, coal operators of
the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
and western Pennsylvania, represent
ing so per cent of the tonnage in the
territory involved, who have felt and
still feel unable to pay any advance in
wages at this time, do hereby propose
that the president of the United
States appoint a committee to investi-
gate all matters which, in the judg-
ment of such commission, have an
important bearing upon or relation to
the scale of wages which should be
paid all classes of labor in and about
the coal mines of the territory herein
involved, and other conditions now
imposed and insisted on by the United
Mine Workers of America, such com
mission to report to the president of
the United States it's findings of facts,
together with it's recommendations.
"Be it further resolved that such
commission have power to administer
oaths and compel attendance of wit
nesses."
The resolutions in full We're tele-
graphed TO President Roosevelt.