The San Francisco call., 1906-03-25
After Five Days Delibera-
tion Coal Miners and
Operators Fail to Agree
Upon a Single Point
CERTAIN EMPLOYERS
FAVOR A SURRENDER
Men May Refuse to Accept
Terms Unless Granted by
All Owners of Galleries
in the Affected Districts

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March A-After
being in joint conference through commit
tees since Tuesday afteroon, the coal op-
orators and miners of the central compet-
itiye district, consisting of Illinois, In
diana, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania,
and those of the Southwestern district,
composed of Missouri Kansas, Texas,
Arkansas and Indian Territory, are no
nearer an agreement upon wage scale
to so into effect in one week than they
were when the former joint conference
adjourned in disagreement on February
81
The present wage scale will expire next
Saturday, and unless an agreement be
reached by the miners and operators be-
fore that time, 225,000 union bituminous
miners will be called from the mines in
the States named.
The joint scale committee of the GEN.
tral competitive district adjourned this
afternoon after being in session four
days, to meet on Monday morning, when
a motion to report a disagreement will
be offered and, it is believed, carried.
The session of the joint conference to
receive this report, according to the pres
ent programme, will be called to meet on
Monday afternoon.
miners have been in conference not a
motion or proposition offered by either
side upon the wage scale has been adopt
ed. In every case where a proposition
was offered it has been fatty refused.
OPERATORS ARE QUARRELING.
The operators have been confronted
with serious dissensions in their own
ranks. T. L. Robbins. of the Western
Pennsylvania operators, has agreed to
,l1-1
is the demand made by the miners, bur
the operators in Illinois. Indiana and
Ohio have firmly refused to pay any ad-
vance. Under the rules of the joint COM
mittee the votes of both operators and
miners must be recorded as units and
this division of the operators has resulted
in the defeat of every motion not favor
able to all of them.
The meetings of the joint scale con-
vention have been marked by many bit
ter personalities between the operators
Robbins has announced that he intends
to pay the increase in wages asked 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 operators in Western
Pennsylvania, represented by G. A Ma
goon, have announced through him that
they will pay the advance if Robbins
does. Other independent mine owners
also have signified their intention of pay
ing the advance if those in their districts
do so.
STRIKE MAY NOT BE GENERAL.
Those of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
declare they cannot afford to pay
any advance whatever, and President
Mitchell of the Mine Workers has firm
ly declared that no settlement will be
ma d 11r11o
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 question that the operators have
tried in vain to get President Mitchell
to answer. The only expression Mitch
ell has made on the subject was made
today, when he remarked in the COM
mittee meeting that the course the
operators were taking might bring
that situation about,
1t is not certain that the national
convention, which must ratify any
action taken by the joint conference,
would allow any district to sign the
joint scale and go to work with the
other districts idle. even If such act
We're indorsed by the national officers.
When the joint scale committee re-
ports a disagreement to the joint con-
ltTeHCe lue uSnl Will De renewed upon
the floor and the fnality will then soon
be reached.
RESERVE SUPPLY OF COAL.
NEW YORK, March 24.-At a con-
ference of the Gould interests here yes
terday a message was read from Frank
L. Robbins, chairman of the Pittsburg
Coal Company, in which he declared
coal strike was inevitable.
Goal strike inevitable. It seems
now impossible for us to reach an
agreement" was the message.
Robbins is now at the meeting of
the joint scale committee in Indianap-
oils.
Announcement was made today by
the anthracite mine operators that
they have on hand within a radius of
less than 100 miles of New York City
a reserve supply of more than 100000
tons of good, marketable grades of
anthracite coal. This is in addition to
the supply held by the dealers and
larger consumers.
In accommodating this vast store of
coal an army of men have been stead
fly employed for months. Storage fa-
cflities have been increased very large
ly, in some cases by the leasing of
farms along the routes of railroads.
Many of these spots are isolated, but
they are within easy transportation
distance from New York.
The operators declare that should
a strike come there will be no incon-
yeniences such as attended the dis
turbances in the anthracite region
in 1902