The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-01
Men 10 Work Where Opera
tors Are Willing to Pay
PRICES UP IN PHILADELPHIA
President Baer Says the Reading Com
pany viii Probably Keep Its Col
lIerIes Open on Monday-Thous-
ands Lay Down Their Tools.

Indianapolis, March 31.-No general
strike order was issued by the national
executive board of the United Mine Work
ers as a result of the all-day meeting of
that body here today. The meeting was
held for the purpose of completing ar
rangements to carry out the policy COM
mitted to the board during the national
convention of the miners, which closed
Friday afternoon. This will be made ef-
fective by authorizing the district and
sub-district officers to sign contracts
Wherever the operators signify their will
ingness to pay the 1908 scale, which pro-
vides for an increase of 5.55 per cent in
wages.
The district officers and board members
have notified the local unions that the
mr. rs may cease work at the expiration
G. the present wage scale at midnight,
and remain out until ordered back to
work under a new contract.
Signify Willingness to Sign.
1t was reported unofhcially at the ma
tional headquarters of the miners today
that operators representing the total ton
mage of Pennsylvania have signfed their
Willingness to sign the 1903 scale on Tues
day.
The signing of contracts by operators
in Western Kentucky is accepted by the
miners officials as an indication of what
may be expected elsewhere. Application
was received at the national headquarters
of the United Mine Workers today for
the signing of all the miners in that ter
ritory, and the authority was transmit
led at once by telegraph, The 5000 miners
In this region will continue at work ~
Bennett Brown. representing several
large miners in Southern Illinois, made
personal application to President John
Mitchell today to be allowed to sign the
new contract He was told that the pa
pers would be in readiness for him on his
arrival at Springfield and that the dis
trict officials there have power to act in
the matter and order the men back to
work.
1t was said also at national headquar-
ters that all the mines in Indiana, south
of the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern
railroad, have made application to be al
lowed to sign the new scale. The owners
of these mines are not members of the
Operators association in the central COM
petitive field.
Declines to Discuss Outlook.
President John Mitchell refused to dis
cuss the outlook today and would not
make any statement regarding his de-
claration in convention that 80 per cent
of the central states mines would be
signed up within ten days. He was closet
ed with the national executive board all
day while his secretaries prepared for
his trip to New York to attend the meet
ing of the subcommittee of anthracite
miners and operators. He will leave In
dianapolis tomorrow afternoon and will
IN, tf,,,a IN pnnn he
miners members of the committee be-
fore the subcommittee meets Tuesday
morning.
Secretary Treasurer w. b. Wilson and
the eastern members of the national ex-
ecutive board will leave for Pennsylvania
tomorrow, where they will have charge
1of signing up contracts in the Irwin re-
\rion. Vice President Tom L. Lewis went
ito Columbus, O., tonight. He viii assist
the Ohio district officers in preparing
their contracts for the mines of the Pitts
burg Coal company and its consolidated
interests in that state.