River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-04-05
Mine TIE-UP IS
ALMOST Complete
NEARLY 100000 MEN AND BOYS
QUIT WORK IN HARD COAL
FIELDS.
SEVERAL OPERATORS
AGREE TO WAGE SCALE

Bituminious Owners Sign Demands Of
Diggers-Little Disorder Reported
Important Conference to Be Held
in New York.
Pending the outcome of the confer
ence in New York city between the
coal operators and President John
Mitchell, of the miners union, the sus-
pension of mining in the anthracite
coal fields is practically complete. Of
the 100000 men and boys in the hard
coal fields who are affected by the
scale committees suspension, less
than 1000 are at work OF this num-
Der about 500 are employed at the OK
ford colliery, an individual corporation
near Scranton, and probably 500 addi-
tional men are rushing work at the
several washeries in the Lackawanna
and Wyoming districts. In the BIZ
luminous fields in many mining dis
tricts the miners are idle, chiefly OW-
ing to the celebration of the eight
hour day rather than because of the
wage question dispute. 1t is difficult
to foretell the conditions in the BIZ
luminous district in western Pennsyl-
vania until it can be definitely stated
how many of the independent oper-
ators will sign the 5.55 per cent. adj
vance
Miners Celebrate Quietly.
Pittsburg, Pa, April 3.-Reports re-
ceived from all parts of the Pittsburg
district up to two o'clock Monday aft
ernoon indicate that the miners were
celebrating the anniversary of the
eight-hour workday quietly and with
out disorder at any point. The most
extensive demonstration was at
Charleroi, Pa, where $4,000 miners
from the various towns within a
radius of 25 miles took part in mass
meeting and parade. Over 1000 mem
bers of the different trades partici-
pated in the parade and the best OF
feeling prevailed throughout the day.
Dispatches from other places say the
miners spent the day idling about the
streets and quietly discussing the
strike situation. At Windber, in the
Cambria-C learfield district, where eff
forts are being made to organize the
miners employed by the Berwlnd-
White Coal company, despite the fact
that the company has offered to con-
cede the advance, the conditions were
not so reassuring. There was
parade of 1000 men during the day
and, fearing disorder after, its dis
missal. the saloons were ordered
closed by the sheriff No trouble has
occurred as yet, however.
Several Operators Sign Scale.
Many of the operators who have
agreed to the advance of wages of 5.55
per cent want the miners to resume
work Immediately Francis l.. Rob-
bins, representing the Pittsburg Coal
company, and the scale committee OF
the United Mine Workers appointed
by the district convention last Satur-
day, met Monday for the purpose OF
signing the agreement. Lewis Find
lay, of the Findlay Coal company,
Golfers, w. Va, was the first to at
fix his signature to the PlttsDurg
scale. The men who refused to work
until the scale had been signed re-
turned to the mines at noon. An
nouncement was made at $50 O'CLOCK
that independent operators represent
ing the mines at Bulger, Fayette and
Steen on the CHARTERS branch of the
Panhandle railroad and signed the
scale; also that the Vesta Coal COM
pany, subsidiary of the Jones &
Laughlin Steel company, had accept
ed the agreement.
The miners scale of wages OF 1903
was also signed by the Pittsburg Coal
company officials. The agreement goes
into effect at once, and affects $4,000
men in this district The agreement
was signed between Chairman Rob
bins and the miners scale committee
at $3.50 o'clock. The scale will remain
y in force two years, and provides for
an increase of 5.55 per cent. An
nouncement was made at the same
time that the scale had been signed by
the following dependent concerns:
Dilworth, Crescent, Maxine, Ellsworth,
Peoples, Miff1in, Wampum Run, Bull,
ger, Fayette, Steen and Vesta, the lat
ter being a subsidiary company of the
Jones & Laughlin Steel company.
Immediately upon receiving the
committees report that the scale has
been accepted, the officials of the con-
vention will take steps to notify all
the miners in the district of the fact,
in order that work can be promptly
resumed Tuesday morning.
Mitchell Off for New York.
Indianapolis, Ind, April "a half
million of the members of the United
Mine Workers of America have ceased
work and are awaiting the granting
of their wage demands by the coal
operators IF the country. President
John Mitchell has gone to New York
to meet the anthracite operators Tues
day in a final attempt at an agree
ment in the anthracite region. Vie
President I. l.. Lewis is in Ohio d1-
recting the strike in that state, and
Secretary Treasurer w. B. Wilson is
at Clearfield, Pa, attending the point
conference of the central Pennsylvania
district.
The miners in all the districts have
quit work awaiting the signing of the
scale demanded. 1t is anticipated that
few operators in the southwestern dis
trict, composed of Missouri, Kansas.