Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-08
IS
IMMINENT
MINE OPERATORS in coNvEN.
TON DECLARE AGAINST A
RAISE IN THE SCALE
HEJOINT CONFERENCE
United Mine Workers Adjourn With
out Taking Any Action Regarding
New Wage scaIe-WiIl Abide by
Decision of the National Association
Which Meets In April.
THE JOINT CONFERENCE

New York, March 6.--More than
1000 HungarIans and Slavs from
the anthracite coal regions at
tempted to obtain passage on tho
steamer Kaiser Wilhelm Der
Crosse which sailed for Europe to-
day. Only $50 could be accommo-
dated. The men said they were
only the advance guard and that
thousands OF their fellow country
men Will leave the coal fields
within the next few weeks for
their homes. They appeared to
believe strike In the coal regions
certain and said that they have
decided to 90 home to remain un.
I'll the trouble Is settled.
New York, March 6. - AT the con.
clusion Of the meeting Of the anthra-
cite coal operators today the follow
Ing formal statement was given out:
statistics bearing upon the demands
OF the miners were submitted by the
operators. They were referred to a
subcommittee to report to the general
committee to meet at the call OF the
chairman as soon as practicable"
- 54tii.,.
Des Moines, March 6.-The Iowa
United Mine Workers Of America. who
have been in joint conference with the
operators, adjourned today without
taking any action in regard to the new
scale or wages. 1t was decided to
await the action of the National asso-
ciatlon April 1 and abide by that de-
cision
AS result of the miners
and operators conventions yes
terday a wage war will follow The
outcome will depend largely on the re.
suit of the eastern conference. The
operators passed resolution which
instructs it's delegates in the Joint
conference to vote against an increase
in wages, While the miners voted to
increase the wage scale 121s per cent.
The resolutions passed by the oper-
ators provide that yearly basis shall
be adopted for the agreement between
the operators and miners, and that the
demand for higher wage scale shall
be resisted. The resolutions follow:
Resolved, That it is the sense of the
Iowa Coal Operators association that
the present conditions of the business
of mining and selling coal in the state
Of Iowa do not justify or permit of any
advance in the wages paid for mining
and other labor about the mines, and
that the wage scale Of the year, com
mencing April, 1906, should not be
higher than the present scale; and,
"Resolver, further, That we are will
ing to recontract on that basis, provid-
ing provisions are inserted in the con-
tract which. will guarantee its strict
enforcement
The demands of the operators
amount to one-year contract, the
present wage scale and provisions en-.
forcing such a contract.
The Old Agreement.
Two years ago the joint miners and
operators conference met and agreed
upon the 5 per cent reduction, with q
provision that the contract should hold
for two years. Also that each sue.
ceeding contract should be good for
two years. This has since been found
unsatisfactory to the operators, hence
the demand for the one year contract.
The other demand of the operators
is that their delegates in the joint con-
ference shall uphold the refusal of the
demand for the 1914 per cent In.
crease.