The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1906-02-02
GENERAL STRIKE
ALMOST CERTAIN
Miners in Joint Conference on
the Point Of Disruption
With Operators.
AN AGREEMENT HOPELESS
Operators Offer to Continue the Pres,
ent Scale, but Refuse to Meet the
Recent Demands Of Miners
for an Increase.


lection OF the counter proposition Of
fered by the coal operators OF the cen
trail competitive district by an almost
unanimous vote of the national conven-
ton of the United Mine Workers and
the adoption OF Il resolution offered by
Secretary w. d. Ryan, of Illinois, plac-
ing the miners on record as a unit in
refusing to sign an agreement for any
district until an agreement was signed
rOr all districts under the jurisdiction
OF the United Mine Workers. has Great
ed situation which. in the opinion
of the officers of the miners organi-
Zation, will result in II disruption Of
of the greatest strikes of organized
labor the country has ever known
The action was taken during a called
session OF the mine workers national
convention. which was called to order
Immediately following Il short session
OF the joint session of the operators and
miners during which the joint scale
committee reported that Il had been
unable to reach all agreement on any
OF the principal questions involved and
after f. l.. Robbins, of Pttsbarg, floor
leader of the operators, had replied to
President Mitchell's question that the
operators had no further proposition to
lay before the miners, concluding his
remarks with the statement that If
there was to be an interruption OF the
joint agreement he wished the respon-
slbll1ty for such a severance Of rela-
ttons to be placed upon the miners
To Raise Defense Fund.
The counter proposition submitted by
the operators, which was said to be
their ultimatum. provided for their
signing for another year at the present
wage scale with certain notifications
ITO reimburse the Illinois operators for
Expense incurred under the shot
tfirers" bill now effective In that scale
Immediately following the rejection
Iof the operators proposal the conven-
Ition set about to provide means for
accommodating strike fund of $500. 900
in addition to a like amount now on de-
post in the international, district and
subdistrict treasures Of the miners or
CARNATIONS.
To provide for an emergency Secre-
'tary Wilson moved that Il per capita
tax of 81 a week be voted and that all
districts take care of the dependent
miners within their jurisdictions for at
least six weeks. He said after that
time he believed the international or
ganization would be in u position to
take care of the miners
After the motion had been amend
ed to substitute ten weeks for the six
suggested as the time during which the
districts should take care or their de-
the international executive board, with
power to act.
Delegates who chose to do so left for
their homes. Others remained for the
final session of the joint conference.
This will be for the formal adjournment
of the interstate joint conference, the
recess having been taken to allow the,
miners convention to ratify or reject
the report of the scale committee.
Small Hope Of Settlement.
In this last meeting lies the only
hope, if hope can exist, for an adjust
iment of the dispute.
The report of the scale committee
announcing disagreement was re-
ceived and made of record
President Mitchell then asked the
operators II they had any other prop
osition to make, and F. B. Robbins
replied for the operators that they had
not and that conditions justified a de-
crease in wages, but the operators
would consent to continuance Of the
present scale.
President Mitchell replied at some
length, urging that conditions justified
an increase. and that present prosper
ity should be shared with the miners,
after which an adjournment was ia
ken and the miners went into session.
w. D. Ryan, chairman of the joint
conference of the central district and
secretary of the Illinois miners re-
ported to the miners convention the
situation and moved to refuse the
proposition OF the operators, and that
no agreement would be signed by any
district unless an agreement was
signed in all the districts. The reso-
luton was unanimously adopted.
Secretary Wilson said: According
TO my understanding the adoption of
this motion means strike"