Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-04-02

pension of work The national con-
vention of the miners will meet in the
morning. The principal business will
be to determine upon a general pol
icy. The question especially to be
considered is whether the organiza-
ton will permit the miners to work
in districts and mines where the ad
vance demanded is offered"
F. L. Robbins and other operators
coal production of western Pennsylva-
MIA, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, offered
to pay the advance and urged the
miners to accept and continue work
in their mines even though other
mines should be idle The convention
of the miners today will take action
upon this situation to decide whether
to permit this or demand that all the
miners suspend work until all have
been paid the advance
The session of the miners cOnven-
ton yesterday formally endorsed the
demand for the 1903 scale and the
miners cast their final vote in the
joint conference for this demand as
their ultimatum. The Illinois, Indi-
ana and Ohio operators adhered to
their position not to pay any advance
Takes Back Statement
The debate was marked by consid
cradle feeling. One of the dramatic
events was a dispute between Mitchell
and Clarence Parker, president of the
Madison Coal company, in which the
latter intimated that Mitchell had ac-
copied favors from his railroad
Mitchell vehemently denied this and
demanded that Parker withdraw his
statement. w. d. Ryan, secretary of
the Illinois miners, explained that it
was he who ash6d for transportation
for a member of Mitchell's family and
stated that Mitchell knew nothing
whatever of it. Parker then with
drew his statement. Mitchell dis
cussed at length the alleged evils re-
sulting from railroad ownership of
coal mines.
One of the earnest pleas to the OPP
orators to pay the advance asked was
made by D. C. Thomas, general man
ager of the New England Coal com
pany, who urged that even a loss of
profit was better from a business
standpoint than a strike.
During his argument against the
railroad ownership of coal mines,
Mitchell said:
Il desire to take up for considera-
ton, not personally, but officially,
what l believe is a subject pertinent
to the determination of this great
questionable relationship between
the coal companies and certain rail
roads. 1t is matterless to me- and it
is matterless to the people of Ameri-
ca whether Parker is president of the
Madison Coal company and the pur-
chasing agent of the Illinois Central
railroad company, or whether some
other man may hold those dual posi-
tons. But it is important to the
people directly and indirectly in
volved what that relationship is.
"Mr Winder stated yesterday that
the stock of the Sunday Creek Coal
company was owned by the Hooking
Valley railroad company, and if the
stock of the Sunday Creek Coal com
uany is owned by the Hooking Valley
railroad company, then it means that
they may show a loss of profits Or
show small earnings on their coal
company and still have large earn
ings in their railroad company"
Must Meet Competition.
Robbins said
Il may say the responsibility OF the
low prices today is due more to rail
road ownership of the coal companies
than to their desire to have coal
transported with prices that would
not otherwise be made, and we have
to meet that competition.
Mitchell and Winder explained to
the conference, that the union miners
of West Virginia had been informed
that they might work pending the
result of the conference. A joint
state convention of operators and
miners will be held at Charleston
Monday. Mitchell explained, however,
that his advice to the men to con
tinue work did not contemplate any
extended period.
Mitchell before a final vote was
taken on his motion, explained that
his understanding of it was that the
motion meant the restoration for two
wears of the mining scale of 1903 al
the various bas'ng points, namely the
thin vein of the Eittsburg district,
the Hooking district of Ohio, the BIZ
luminous district of Indiana and the
Danyille district of Illinois. Robbins,
of the operators, said it could mean
nothing else.