Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-16

| ton which may result in an agreement
with the coal operators that will pre-
| vent general strike, that would bring
$4,000 men from the mines April /. The
| conference with the operators will be-
sin here Monday next.
| AT the last joint conference with the
| operators the miners demanded an in
| crease i'll wages of 1212 per cent, the
| admission of the Southwestern states,
| the per cent. differential between ma
| chine and pick mining, 121a per cent.
| advance for yardage and dead work,
prohibition Of employment of boys I'M
der 16 years of age, an S-hour day, a
| onc-ycar contract and run-of-nine
basis. The miners also adopted a reso-
luton offered by Mr.. Ryan of Illinois
| that no district should sign Il wage
| agreement until all the districts signed.
| This action will come before the con-
| NentiOn for action. Unless it is reScind-
| ed the bituminous miners cannot sign
a wage agreement until the anthracite
| miners reach an agreement with their
| opera tors.
! Tie operators not only refused these
| Gelnands, but demanded a reduction of
| from 10 to 10 per cent, protection
| against stampede strikes and a better
| system OF adjudicating local troubles.
| Since the adjournment of the former
| convention and following the reception
| OF a letter from President Roosevelt
addressed to both F. L. Robbins of the
| operators and Mr.. Mitchell, it has been
| announced that the operators had made
| an offer to restore the wage scale of
| two years ago which would be an adj
| vance of $50 per cent. over the present
| Scair.
When the convention met Thursday
| differences that have appeared to exist
| between Pres. Mitchell and Vice Pres.
Lewis were apparently laid aside and
with the more important work of the
| convention in order that the miners
might present united front. The day
| was taken up with credentials of the
delegates.
When the credentials committee had
considered it's report the reading Of
winch occupied several hours President
Mitchell formally called the convention
| to order andEsaad:
In formally declaring this conven-
ton open for the transaction OF bust
| Icss it may not be amiss-indeed It
seems quite prorer-atht | should re
roft the principal incidents anu causes
which prompted the call for this eX-
t,aordinary meeting of the United
Mine Workers of America and in ad-
dition thereto, make some suggestions
for your guidance. which may facilitate
the work of the convention. and.
fope, prove helpful in re-establishins
cur relations with the operators upon
10 ,,.-E @1
reasonably satisfactory to the great
constituency we represent, and ut the
same time nrC perry conSiferatc of the
Y flare Of the entire country. whose
interests cannot be disr, gardtd with
inlpuuity by any class Of citizens, re-
G;Tdlegs of its strength OF influence.
while il New York attending meet
ings of the anthracite committee ap-
| n:nt,d b. the Shamokin convention
held on Dec. la report of which was
submitted to our annual convention
first by accident and then by arrange.
mont, | met and held several .onfer
cnCcs with Mr. Robbins chairman Of
the Pittsburg Coal Co. and suhse
cunntly With other operators. promi-
nelt participants il our last joint con-
Vrntion. ut these conferences the
question Of our disagreement upon the
sc scale was oiso used in 2n infor-
NAL way | also held conferences with
s. veral Of the leading ana active work
crY in our own movement, 50 that |
might inform myself more fully as to
he status Of affairs in the various
rarts of the country, 50 far as it af-
fcctcd the interests Of our orSaniZa
il and ,-aIrar, nr nnnr1n
AS a result Of these meetings wo
came to believe that there had been
such cnaEges in the coal or at least
in the attitude Of many operators, as
To justify he hope that there was a
possibility Of reaching an agreement
provided the joint conventions were
reconvencd.
ASIDE, however. from my own i'm
pressions and the impressions Of those
Of my colleagues with whom l con-
suited, the following letter from the
President of the United States, ad-
dressed to Mr. Robbins and 10 me.
| Sc emed sufficient justification 20 war
rant ourselves and our employers in
making another effcrt to reach an
agreement"
Mr.. Mitchell then read President
Roosevclts letter in which the Presi-
dent expressed concern over the fail
uro of the miners convention on joint
Interstate agreements to come to a
basis of settlement of the bituminous
mining scale of wages and urging both
sides to make another effort to avert
the threatened strike. Mr.. Mitchell
continued:
Il take his occasion to report off
clally that the operators of both the
Central competitive and the southwest
crn fields have called meetings. Of Their
representatives to be held in this city
on Monday morning March 10.
while of course the many conflict
ing and inharmonious statements
c7nanating from various sources pur-
rorting to reflect the views OF opera
fors. seem to indicate an entire alb
since of unity and concord among
rhem ir regard to the question of af~
,.,1cins wages, | am nevertheless hope
ful. if not fully convinced, that the
= gencv and seriousness Of the situa-