Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-25
NON[AR[RAGREEM[NT
Miners and Operators Still Far
Apart
IN WAGE CONTROVERSY
Present Scale Will Expire Next Sat
urday.
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL MONDAY
Operators Confronted with Dissen.
sions in Their Ranks-Robbins
Firm in CONCESSION to Demands.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind March 24-After
being In joint conference through commit
tees since Tuesday afternoon, the coal opera
tors and miners of the central competitive
district and OF the southwestern district
tonight are no nearer an agreement on
wage scale to go into effect on April than
they were when the former joint conference
adjourned in disagreement on February ?.
The present wage scale will expire next
Saturday. and unless agreement Is re-
ported by miners and operators before that
time, 225,0C0 union btuminous miners WILL
1t Is said by the union miners, be called
from the mines in Illinois. Indiana. Ohio.
western Pennsylvania, Missouri. Kansas.
Texas, Arkansas and Indian Territory.
The joint scale committee of the central
competitive district adjourned this after
noon to meet Monday morning when a
motion to report disagreement will be Of
fered, with the probability LIT 1t Will be car
ried The session OF the joint conference to
receive this committee report Will, accord
ing to the present program. be called to
meet Monday afternoon.
Robbins Willing to Grant Demands.
During the four days the committees have
been in conference not every proposal Of
fered by either side on the wage scale has
been fatty refused. The operators have
their own ranks. F. L. Robbins of the
western Pennsylvania operators has agreed
to pay an advance of 5.55 per cent. which
is the demand made by the miners, but the
opera tors of Illinois. Indiana and Ohio have
firmly refused to pay any advance. onder
the rules of the joint committee the votes
of both operators and miners must be re-
corded as units and this division of the
operators has resulted in the defeat or
every motion not favorable 10 all or them
= I, 5,1;t, Ia
have been marked by very bitter words
hurled by operators at each other. Mf.
Robbins has announced that he intends 10
pay the increase In wages asked py tne
miners not only in the mines or the Pltts-
burg Coal Company, of which he is presl-
dent but also in his own mines In west
ern Pennsylvania. Ohio and Illinois. In
dependent operators in western Pennsyi-
vania represented by G. A Magoon. have
announced that they VIII pay the advance
If Mr. Robbins does.
Mitchell's Declaration.
President Mitchell of the mine workers
has firmly declared that no settlement viii
be made unless an advance in wages Is
given. Whether the officers of the mine
workers will allow the miners 10 sign the
scale and go to work in districts where
the advance Is allowed while other miners
strike is question that the operators have
tried in vain to get President Mitchell to
answer.
Che, only expression Mr. Mitchell has
made on the subject today. when he
remarked in the committee meeting that
the course the operators We're taking might
bring that situation about.
The statement was made To-Day by ma
tional officer of the United Mine Workers
that according to the construction by
President Mitchell of the bylaws govern
ing the central states agreement, no con-
tract can be signed with fewer than half
of the individual operators.
No Hope of Settlement.
Herman Justi. commissioner of the ILL
nois operators. said this afternoon before
the committee again went into executive
session that he had no hope that there
would be a settlement next week. The
| committee will adjourn this afternoon till
| Monday OF Tuesday" said he. and Il ses-
| sion of the joint conference viii be held
the first of next week. 1t Is possible West
| ern Pennsylvania and Ohio will be allowed
| to sign the advanced scale offered, and In
| diana and Illinois go on a strike. This
| strike however. would be of short dura-
| ton, possibly thirty days.
'"The public will not be seriously affected
| by a strike. There Is generally suspen-
| sion of work at coal mines on April l
| whether there Is a strike or rot. The work
| during the next month is very light and the
| output Is always small.
| I'm case of a strike. the country has
coal on hand for forty-nye days. which is
| conservatively estimating 1t. OF 100000 coal
| miners in the country but 1913 600 belong to
| the United Mine Workers Union. West
| Virginia. with a coal production OF IS, 900
| 600 tons annually, Is practically non-union;
| Kentucky, with q production of 100000
| TONS Is the same. and Alabama, with a
| strike of the union on since August, 1904,
| last year produced 100000 tons, or more
1880
| were working the mines So 1t is easy TO
| see the people of this country will not
| freeze and not eat their victuals raw"
President Mitchell said this afternoon he
| had taken no action In the anthracite stu
alton since receiving President Baer's let
| ter. He said he would not call the anthra-
cite committee together to lay the letter be-
| fore 1t until next week. The selection of a
| time and place for the anthracite conference
with the operators Will be made when this
| committee meets.