The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-03-24
OPERATORS AND MINERS
 CONTINUE IN DEADLOCK
NO AGREEMENT YET REACHED BY THEM ON THE WAGE
 SCALE

Differences Seem as Far from Adjust
 ment as Ever-Both Joint Scale Conn
 mittees Meet TO-day-MitchelI De-
 clines to Commit Himself on the
 Ryan ResOIutiOn-F. l.. Robbins Att
 tackled for FavOring the Payment of
 the Scale of 1903.
 Indianapolis, March 23.-The deadlock between coal operators and miners of the central competitive and the south western districts continued to-day throughout the meetings of the two joint scale committees, and when the meetings adjourned late this afternoon no agreement had been reached on the wage scale The differences seemed as far from adjustment as ever. Both joint scale committees will meet to- morrow.
 The discussion in the scale committee of the central competitive district was confined to arguments among the oper- ators on the committee, and radically different views were expressed by them. An effort was made to secure from President Mitchell an expression as to whether he held the Ryan resolution to be in effect. This resolution was adopt ed by the former joint conference and binds the miners not to sign in any dis trict until an agreement shall have been reached in every district. MT. Mitchell declined to commit himself.
 F. l.. Robbins, of the western Penn sylvania operators, was the target to- day for several vigorous attacks on his position in favor of paying the scale of 1903, which would mean an advance of 5,55 per cent. in wages and which would comply with the demands of the miners. One of the most heated of these attacks was made by J. B. Zerbe, of Cleveland, for the Ohio operators After paying his respects to MT. Robbins, Mir. Zerbe turned to the representatives of the miners and said
 'The Ohio operators are not now get ting a fair return for capital invested and the interest thereon. You demand that they surrender a portion of the returns they are now receiving. They have right to stand for fair return and therefore are standing upon prin- ciple, and if a strike should come they are justified and the responsibility rests wholly with you
 MT Robbins said he did not propose to be dictated to by the operators of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. He said his position was fair and just to all inter- ests; and the Pittsburg Coal company, which he represented, was willing to pay the advance in wages asked. He said he was also willing to pay the ad- vance at his own mines in Pennsylva- nia, Ohio and Illinois, and he had re- ceived notice from an Illinois coal com pany having an output of one million tons annually that it had instructed it's representatives to vote with him. MT. Robbins said the country would not permit a general strike on the causes shown. He turned to President Mitch ell, of the mine workers, and said he did not believe the officials of the min CTS would dare to refuse to allow the miners to work where their demands were met.
 G. A. Magoon, representing the west ern Pennsylvania independent opera tors, in reply to a question of MT. Rob- bins, said that if the Pittsburg Coal company paid the advance and operat- ed it's mines the independent operators of western Pennsylvania would GO like wise.
 The dissensions among the operators became so heated that the operators asked the miners to withdraw for an hour. This was done, and at the end of the period the operators asked for an adjournment until tomorrow, as they had not finished their discussion. This action was taken. The operators con- tinued in session for an hour longer and then adjourned, after arranging for con- ferences by states
 The southwestern district accomplish ed nothing to-day. President Mitchell offered, on behalf of the miners, to take the 1903 scale, with three per cent. add ed, but this was defeated by the opera tors of that district.