Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-25
EXPIRES NEXT SATURDAY
Unless an Agreement is Reached by that
Time 925,0OO Men Will QUIT Work,
ALL PROPOSITIONS ARE VOTED DOWN
Offers from One Side Are Uniformly
Rejected by the Other,
ROBBINS OFFER IS STILL OPEN
Pittsburg Operator and Several Inde-
BeRdents willing 20 Pay Scale of
Two Years AEo, but Miners
Are NOncOmmittaI.

are. NoncOAoAhANtHAE
| INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March 24-After
being in joint conference through COM
mttecs since Tuesday afternoon, the coal
! operators and miners OF the central com
! petitivc district consisting of Illinois, In
DIANA Ohio and western Pennsylvania and
those Of the southwestern district. COM
posed of Missouri. Kansas, Texas, Arkan-
sas and Indian territory, are no nearer an
agreement upon a wage scale to go into
effect in one week than they were when
the former joint conference adjourned In
! disagreement on February a.
The present wage scale expires next
! Saturday, and unless an agreement Is
| reached by the miners and operators be-
fore that time, 225OOO union hitumsnous
miners will be called from the mines in .he
states named
The joint scale committee of the central
competitive district adjourned this after
/ noon after being I'm session four days 10
| meet Monday morning when a motion 10
report a disagreement will be offered and
1t is believed will be carried. The session
Of the joint conference to receive this
report will according to the present pro
gram be called to meet Monday after
noon.
All Propositions voted Down.
| During the four days the operators and
miners have been in conference not a
motion or proposition offered by either side
upon the wage scale has been adopted.
In every case where a proposition was
offered, It has been fatty refused. The
operators have been confronted with serious
dissensions in their own ranks. f. L. Roo
bins of the western Pennsylvania opera
] fnro has - Z z
per cent. which is the demand by the
miners, but the operators Of Illinois. In
diana and Ohio have firmly refused to
pay any advance. Under the rules of the
joint committee the votes OF both opera
tors and miners must be recorded as units
and this division Of operators has resulted
in the defeat of every motion not favorable
to all OF them.
The meeting Of the joint scale commit
tee have been marked by many bitter per-
sonalites between the operators. Mr.. Rob
bins has announced that he Intends 10 pay
| the increase asked by the miners not only
in the mines of the Pittsburg Coal COM
pany Of which he is president, but also IN
his own mihes in western Pennsylvania,
Ohio and Illinois. Independent operators
in western Pennsylvania, represented oy
q. A Magoon,. have announced through
him that they will pay the advance IL Mr..
Robbins does. Other Independent mine
owners have also slgnified their intention
to pay the advance II those in their dis.
tricts do so. Those of Illinois, Indiana
and Ohio declare they cannot afford 10
pay any advance whatever.
Mitchell il NoncommittaI.
President Mitchell of the mine workers
has firmly declared that no settlement will
be made unless an advance in wages is
given. Whether the officers Of the mine
workers 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 to get Presi-
dent Mitchell OF the mine workers to an
swer. The only expression Mr.. Mitchell
has made on the subject was today when
he remarked in the committee meeting that
the course the operators were taking might
bring that situation about.
1t is not certain that the national con-
vention of the miners, which must ratlfy
any action taken by the joint conference
would allow any districts to sign the ad-
vanced scale and go to work with the other
} districts idle, even II such action were en-
dorsed by the national officers.
The statement was made today by a ma
! tional officer Of the United Mine Workers
that according to the construction by
/ President Mitchell OF the bylaws govern
! ing the central states agreement, no con
tract can be signed with less than 50 per
cent of the operators. This was explained
: 10 mean individual operators and not
! operators controlling 80 per cent Of the
tonnage Of the district involved in the con
! tract.
il is freely stated that both operators
and miners are playing a waiting game. as
| aarh SID daafraa 10 tt atk
the responsibility for a strike.
When the joint scale committee reports
disagreement 70 the joint conference the
fight will be renewed upon the floor anG
the fnality will then soon be reached.
The operators and miners OF the south
western district will determine their DO
sition after the discussion In the central
competitive district has been concluded.
Anthracite Operators Prepared.
] NEW YORK, March 24--Announcement
was made today by the anthracite mine
@ operators that they have on hand within
a radius OF less than 100 miles OF New
e York City, a reserve supply of more than
s 100000 tons Of good marketable grades
1 OF anthracite coal. This is in addition IL
e the supplies held by the dealers and larger
consumers.
r In accommodating this vast store of coal
- an army OF men have been steadily en-
, ployed for months. Storage facilities have
/ been increased very largely. in some cases
[ by the leasing OF farms along the route
9 OF railroads. Many OF these spots are
Isolated. but they are within easy trans.
portation distance from New York
The operators declare that should a strike
come there viii be no Inconvenience sucl
I as attended the disturbances in the anthra.
| cite region In 1902