Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-07
IOWA COAL OPERATORS SEEM
DISPOSED TO NEGOTIATE AN
AGREEMENT
COMMITTEES POWERFUL
Representatives Of the Coal Mine
Owners on the Joint Scale Commit
tee are Clothed With Full Authority
to Make Scale for Next TWO Years.

Des Mo1nes, April 6.-(SpeciaD
The joint conference and joint
scale committee of the Iowa min
ers and operators adjourned this
afternoon to 2 o'clock next Tues
day afternoon without reaching an
agreement. The adjournment was
made necessary by the fact that
tomorrow Is pay day and a large
number of the operators are COM
PEELED to return to their homes to
pay their employees for work done
during the second half of March.
There is no change in the sit
uation and there has been no re-
cession on either side from the
original demands. There is still
hope, however, of a settlement
and 1t is expected that by next
Tuesday, when the Iowa confer
ence will reconvene, there will
have been some developments in
the other fields which can be used
to aid in the work of reaching an
agreement in this state.
Columbus, o., April 6.-Presi-
dent Windner Of the Ohio Coal
Operators association telegraphed
to President Roosevelt and to
President Mitchell today, from
Charleston, w. Va, where the
operators and miners are meeting,
that the bituminous operators will
propose to settle the strike in the
bituminous region by, arbitration.
New York, April 6.-When Pres
5ident Mitchell was shown the bull
letin from Columbus today he de-
clined to make any comment. He
regarded the move as Every inter-
esting," he. said. but in the abb
8sence of official advices he could
say nothing about the matter The
sentiment of the anthracite min
ers' scale committee with regard
to arbitration is that the condi-
tions in anthracite and bituminous
fields are widely different. Mitch
ell said he entertains the hope
that the anthracite operators will
accept the miners offer to arbi-
trate, which was made yesterday.
President Mitchell later tele-
graphed to j. H. Winder Of the
Ohio bituminous coal operators,
that he would lay the latter's pro-
posal of arbitration in the soft coal
fields dispute before the interna-
tional executive board of the Uni
ted Mine Workers when it con-
venes at Indianapolis April II.
Pittsburg, Pa, April 6-Another
small coal operator signed the
1908 scale here today, making
twelve operators, employing to-
tai Of 1,500 men, to sign up within
the past twenty-four hours. In
eleven Of these mines the men re-
sumed work today. Those in the
twelfth will go to work tomor-
row.
There is almost complete re.
sumption of operations today in
the mines Of the Pittsburg Coal
company.
Des Moines, April 6.-(Speciai)--l
as developed since the joint seal
ommittee of the Iowa miners and o,
rators has been in session that th
perators in that body have bee
lothed with full power to make
Gale. with the miners to govern th
perators' association Of the state fc
1e next two years. This is not th
sual method Of procedure and
bows that the operators this year ar
esirous of coming to an agreemer
18th the miners, one that cannot b
reyented by the objections of som
lngle operator who does not chanc
} be member of the scale commit
be.
Formal Notice Served.
Yesterday afternoon. during tn
'ork of the scale committee, the O,
rators served formal notice upon tn
liners that such a decision as ind
ated above had been reached by th
perators' convention as whole. Th
liners, following the custom of thej
rganization, have given their seal
ommittee power to negotiate a seal
nder instructions and subject to th
of the miners in joint col
ention with the operators.
Yesterday the operators offered
lotion providing that the scale whic
xpired April 1 be taken as the basi
nd that the new scale be negotiate
'ithout advances or reductions. Th
liners promptly voted this down.
The operators then served motto
lat any scale that might be negotia-
4 would have to carry with it prov
ons absolutely guarding against Ii
IL strikes and suspensions.
No other motions were put durin
le day. The balance of the tim
as devoted to the arguing of cond
(Contfn,Ie1 on PAGE