Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-04-03


coal mining in the United States since
the production Of the fuel attained its
pr, scpt enormous total. occurred Mon
day, the fear of a complete tic-up of
the industry has passed and the situa
tion ic expected to improve rapidly with
each day. Reports received tonight
fror tn" bituminous fields show that
many of the leading coal companies
have signed the 1903 scale which gives
the men an advance of 80" cents over
the wages They received during til" l@st
tive years. The number or miners who
received the increase is estimated ~
nearly fU0.o0n.
y thousands of soft coal workers
laid Oft tn celebrate the Inauguration
Of the H-hour day, which Is annually
on&t rvCd in the bituminuuS regions. the
nImhrr Of men who are on strike or
nav. suspended work pcncing ncgotla-
tiols will not be known until Tuesday
on possibly Wednesday
In the anthracite regions there was
an almost total suspension Of mining
III obedience to the instructions iSsuId
by me ShnInokiu scale committee. Tn"
REPRESENTATIVES Of the operators and
miners will meet in New York Tuesday
for Il further discussion OF the differ
cnc,S existing between them.
10 disorder of any consequence was
rnrnrtod from anv section of the an
thru,Itc or bituminous fields.
New York, April THE eve Of the
second meeting Of the committees rep
rcSontiu@ til" anthracite mine workers
ana their employers finds the sltua-
ton, SO far as the hard coal hclds are
concerned unchanged from that DIS
closed III the communications thal
have passed between the contendlnS
forces ana which have been made pun
lie. Neither miner nor operator tolllght
will venture prediction rs to the out
come as neither party is aware OF
what the next move of the other VIII
he Both sides are hopeful. however
ANA there is Il feeling among those
vitality interested i'll the struggle that
some way out Of the present difficulty
will be- found. This feeling is paseh
uH the fact that each side hHS Only
played its first card and that inc rcal
negotiations have yet no begun.
President Mitchell arrived here To-
night from indianapolis ana cStapilSh-
ed headquarters at the Ashland mousse
lie was accompanied by the secretary
and Thomas Haggerty, of the 'chtru
PENNSYLVANIA district or the Miners
Iuiuu. who is Il member of IN" lhlcf-
national executive board. others WI"
arrived tonight were PreSluclitS
Nichols Fahy and Dettrcy. and Sec
rctarics Dempsey. Gallagher and Hart
lein, all of the anthracite regions rs
remaining members of the Shalhokii
scale committees to whom has Deeil
referred the matter of Il settlement
with the mine owners, will arrive TO-
morrow.
None of the district leaders Nou'''
be quoted as to the situation as siio" u
by the first days suspension, put 'iies
nll admitted privately that the utI'''',
harmony prevails in the region anu
that thousands of men would not one!
the suspension order have prove"
gruunIlcss. They report that 'te "iiiS
cullicry working full handed rs 'i'e
pcn3l"s Coal Company'S oxford opera :
tiun, in the northern field. Which 10
run almost exclusively by noh-uiiloii
mon The charter of the local uilio''
.t This Gallery was annulIed some time
ago. The washeries that were IN or
Grafton today employ. the district ieau-
crS say. only a small number OF men
ana they are not well organized.
Tomorrow meeting between the
subcommittee of the miners anu ny
operators will be held at noon ana -
expected to be of short duration. IL -
believed that nothing will be oeiiiiiteiS
agreed upon. According to infor i'a'io''
obtained today, the program LOT ~
morrow, as tentatively outlined pv tio
operators, is to renew the couilte,
proposition made to the miners cary
in March-that is. the continuation ~
another term of three years ol 'lie
award CT the anthracite strike coniiiis-
sion. The operators, it is understood