The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-03-30
BITUMINOUS MINERS
 AFFECTED BY STRIKE.

Indianapolis, March 29.-The joint meet ings of the bituminous coal operators and miners of the central competitive dis trict, composed of western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and of the southwestern district, composed of Mis- souri, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Okla homa, and Indian Territory, reached a final disagreement today on the wage scale to go into effect at the expiration of tlss present scale on Apri, 1. and the conference of the central district adjourn e. sine die while the Joint scale committee of the southwestern district decided to report a disagreement to the joint con- ference of that district tomorrow. It is expected that this conference will at once adjourn sine die without an agree ment.
 The action of the two conferences will directly cause the suspension from work after Saturday of 17S,O0O miners, unless something unforeseen, like submission of the differences to arbitration, should in- tervene. and indirectly will affect 20650O or more miners. not including it's effect on 150.0O0 miners in the anthracite field who were tonight ordered to suspend work Monday.
 Shall Offer Be Accepted?
 A national convention of the miners will be held tomorrow to decide whether miners will be allowed to sign the ad- vance scale demanded by them and to- day refused by all the operators, with a few exceptions, and go to work where the advance is offered. Operators em- ploying 25,0O0 miners in the central com petitive field have openly offered to pay the advance during the joint conference sessions.
 The wage scales of all miners, both an- thracite and bituminous, will expire Sat urday except those in Tennessee and Ala bama.
 A national official of the United Mine Workers said tonight:
 Ut is a foregone conclusion that all the miners whose scales will expire Sat urday will cease work until officially not fled by the national and district officers that contract arrangements have been made governing their scales"
 The miners affected directly land indi- rectly by the disruption of the confer ences, exclusive of the anthracite dis trict, number 3S4,5OO, distributed as fol- lows:
 Pennsylvania, 160 GOO; Maryland. 5000; West Virginia, 35,000; Virginias 15000; Ohio 10000: Indiana, 15.000; Illinois, 53,0OO; Iowa, 1400; Michigan, $50; Kentucky, 4000 and the southwestern states, 10000 Of these 120,000 are unorganized.
 Disrupts Interstate Agreement.
 The disagreement came after a strug gle lasting ten days and not lonly dis rupts the interstate agreement which has existed since 1898 between the operators and miners throu l which wage scales and other differences have been adjusted, but it effects 534.0O0 bi.tuminous and an thracite miners who will suspend work after Saturday unless, something not an- ticipated or unforeseen lntervens in the interest of peace.
 The final vote in the conference of the three central competitive fields on which the other di stri Us base their set dement's was upon motion offered by President Mitchell C., the United Mine Workers to adopt the wage scale of la12s whiciA wouloi nave been an increase fin wages of 5.55 pe' cent. The operators of Illinois, Ind lana and Ohio voted against the proposition which defeated it, and at the dis ruftion of the session ad- journment of the conference followed. Independent o,perators-of Westeis Penn sylvania and he miners of the four states voted for it.
 Means Suspension of Work.
 Following the adjournment National Secretary w. 3. Wilson of the Mine Workevs sajld:
 There s no likelihood of anything further being done. This means suspen- sion of wo rk The national convention of the miners will meet tomorrow morning The princi pal business will be to deter mine upoyn a general policy. The ques- tion espeS eiaIIy to be considered is wheth- CT the Q rganization will permit miners to work !. in districts and mines where the advance demanded is offered"
 F. l.. Robbins and other operators rep resentir 'lg about one-third of the coal product ion of Western Pennsylvania