The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-03-23
OPERATORS AND MINERS
 DIVIDED ON PROPOSALS
EACH SIDE FAILS UTTERLY TO AGREE ON PROPOSITIONS
 OF OTHER.

ccaAC COmHuAEteeS Apparently NO
 Nearer an Agreement Than They
 Were February 2-Vice President
 Lewis of the United Mine Workers
 Declares Operators Must Recede from
 Their POsitiOn-ChairInan Winders
 Admits Final Disagreement Likely.
 Indianapolis, March 22.-After being in session the greater part of to-day the joint scale committees of coal ope- ratofS and miners of the central com petitive and of the southwestern dis triets adjourned late this afternoon un- til tomorrow, divided on every ppopo- sition that had been made during the day by either side, The committee ap- parently were no nearer an agreement than they were on February 2, when the former joint conference disagreed and adjourned.
 Chairman J. H. Winders, of the op- orators, admitted that disagreement of the joint scale committee of the cen tral competitive district is probable. Vice-President Lewis, of the United Mine Workers, said:
 There will certainly be disagree ment unless the operators recede from their position"
 The joint scale committee of the cen- tral competitive district, composed ot Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, adjourned this after noon after being in session eight hours. During the afternoon four proposals were made in the meeting and all were defeated.
 President Mitchell moved that the wage scale of 1908 be adopted for one year. In making this motion the mine workers receded from their former de- mands of a run of mine basis, a differ ential of seven per cent, an eight hour day, an increase of 12 1-2 per cent. in wages and prohibition of employment of boys at the mines under sixteen years of age. After brief argument this proposal was defeated, the opera tors and miners voting by states, All the operators voted against the motion and the miners voted unanimously for it.
 H. N Taylor of the Illinois operators then moved that the wage scale of 1903 be accepted for two years, provided the miners agree to pay the expenses caus- ed by the shot-firers' law in Illinois. This motion was defeated by major ity vote of both operators and miners.
 President H. c. Perry of the Illinois moners moved that the 1903 scale, which is an advance of 5,55 per cent. over the present scale in the central district, be accepted for one year. the operation of the shot-firers law in Illi- nois to remain as at present, This was defeated, the miners voting for it and the operators against it.
 F. L. Robbins of the western Penn sylvania operators, moved the adoption of the 1903 scale for two years with same conditions This was defeated by the operators of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, who voted against the proposal. The western Pennsylvania operators and the miners voted for 1t. Under the rules the votes of the operators and miners on all questions pertaining to the wage scale must be recorded as a unit, and the motion was lost At this point the committee adjourned until tomorrow.
 Earlier in the day the miners moved that the Illinois shot-firers' law be re- garded as a district question to be set tied by the district, but this was de- feated by the operators who took the position that 1t was an interstate ques- ton, as 1t affected the competitive field. The miners made an effort to have the differences referred to a sub-scale com- mittee of four miners and four opera tors. but the operators would not agree to this The western Pennsylvania op- orators voted with the miners on the question.
 All the sessions of both joint scale committees were executive. More than i. .OOO miners and 400 operators spent the day awaiting the action of the two committees. Should these committees finally agree sessions of the joint con- ferences of the two districts will be called to take up the fight in open ses- sion. Should the committees agree their action must be ratified by the joint conferences before becoming op- erative.