The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-23
COMMITTEE IS HELPLESS Cannot Agreson Miners
 WagSeale, WILL RyoRT TO CONVENTION For Propositions Made and All
 Are Defeated. Now no Nearer an Understanding than February 2, When the Former
 Conference Failed to Agree
 and Adjourned.

Indianapolis March 22.--After being in session the greater part of the day. the joint scale committee of the joint conference of the coal operators and United Mine Workers or the central competitive and southwestern district adjourned late this afternoon until to- morrow. morning. Divided on every proposition that had been made during the day by either side, they were no nearer an agreement than they were on February End, when the former joint conference disagreed and ad- journed sine die.
 Every indication tonight pointed to a disagreement of the two joint scale committees tomorrow and the eonven- ing of the joint conference of the two districts to receive reports to that ef- feet.
 President J. H. Winder Of the opera tors admitted that a disagreement of the joint scale committee of the central competitive district is probable Vice President Lewis of the United Mine Workers said:
 There will certainly be disagree ment unless the operators recede from their position"
 The joint scale committee of the cen- tral competitive district composed of Illinois. Indiana. Ohio and Western Pennsylvaria adjourned at o'clock tEis afternoon after being in session since o'clock this morning. During the afternoon four propositions were made in the meeting and all were de- feated.
 President Mitchell of the mine work CTS, SIS soon as the afternoon execu- tive session had begun, moved that the wage scale or 1903 be adopted for one year. In making this motion the mine workers receded from their former de- ard nf of TllinR Stg a dfffnT- ential of seven per cent. an eight hour day, an increase of I2 1-2 per cent in wages and prohibition of employ ment of boys at the mines under six teen years of age. After brief argu- ment this proposition was defeated. tho | operators and miners voting by states. All the operators voted against the motion and the miners voted unapi- | Inously for 1t.
 Proposes seale of I0O3. Mir. Taylor of the Illinois operators then moved that the wage scale or 1903 be accepted for two years. provid | ing tho miners agree to pay the eX- pense caused by the shot fIrers law in Illinois. This it has been figured by the operators amounts 10 two cents per ton of mined coal and on an average or fifteen million tons of Illinois coal an nually mined by the use of shot firers would amount to $300,000 per year.
 
 nous vote of both operators and min ers.-
 President M. c. Perry of the Illinois miners moved that the 1903 scale which is an advance of 5.55 per cent. oyer the present scale fin the central district ard relatively in the southwest district, be accepted for one year, the operations of the shot firers law in Illinois to remain ss at present. This was defeated, the miners voting for it and the operators against it.
 President Robbins of the Western Pennsylvania operators moved the adoption of the 1903 scale for two years with the same conditions. This was defeated by the operators of Illi- nois, Indiana and Ohio, who voted against the proposition. The Western Pennsylvania operators and the miners voted for 1t. Under the rules the votes of the operators and miners on all matters pertaining to the wage scale must be recorded as unit and the motion was lost. At this point at tention was called to the fact that the | our for adjournment had arrived and the committee adjourned until tomor- TOW morning.
 Earlier in the day the miners moved that the Illinois shot tirers law be re- garded as a distinct matter to be set tied by the district, but this was de- feated by the operators who took the position that it was an interstate ques tion as 1t affected the competitive field. The miners made an effort to have the differences referred to a sub-scale com mittee Of four miners and four oper- ators. but the operators would not agree to this. The Western Pennsyl- vania operators voted with inc min CTS on the question.
 Every proposition made by either side during the day was defeated. and when adjournment was taken until to- morrow morning 1t seemed impossible for the joint committee to arrive at m agreement. the Joint scale committee of the southwestern district defeated the proposition of the miners for tho appointment or stb-eo Mmittee and also refused to exclude the stenograph CTS from the room on motion of the miners in order that proposition from the miners might be considered without record being made This com mlttee than took an adjournment until tomorrow morning