Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-03-21
Buy Coal Now.

All the local dealers say that people
should buy coal Immediately
The Mine Workers were to have
met in Des Moines yesterday and to
have met the operators on the TWEEN
ty-fourth. On account of the failure
of the eastern men to reach an agree
ment, and the postponement Of that
meeting until the twenty-fourth the
one at Des Moines also had to be post
poned.
Central Field Situation.
Indianapolis, Ind, March 19-Sus-
pension of work on April in the coal
mines of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and
western Pennsylvania, known as the
central competitive field, may result
mittee to the convention today is
adopted
The report recommends yearly
agreements with the operators by dis
tricts at a minimum based on the pres
ent wage scale.
Efforts to get the operators in the
central competitive field to agree to
an interstate Joint conference, at
which differences may be settled, have
failed, and it is believed here that u
| walkout of the men is not improbable.
President John Mitchell favors the re-
port.
Important Features of Report
Important features Of the report
made by the scale committee, which
has been at work several days, follow:
I'm Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas,
Oklahoma and Texas, comprising
what is known as the southwestern
fields, we have contracts with the
coal operators by which we have
agreed to meet them in Joint confer
ence to arrange wage scale before
| the present one expires. A similar
condition exists in central Pennsyl-
vania, West Virginia, western Ken
lucky, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado.
One of the prime reasons for the sue
cess which our organization has at.
| tanned is that while we have contend
ed for the best conditions possible to
secure in making a scale when once
| 1t has been agreed to we have held 1t
to be inviolable. We must not break
| these contracts now.
"That in view of the fact that the
| operators of the central competitive,
coal field, composed Of western Penn.
sylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
have refused to meet us in interstate
convention prior to the expiration of
our present contract, or at any other
specific date, each district be author
Nfzed to negotiate an agreement with
the operators association of their re-
spective districts, Or where the opera
tors have no association then with
them collectively within the district
THAT the basis upon which such
agreement shall be made shall be not
less than the present wage rates.
Will Suspend Work
| That where no contract has been
made prior to April /, and no joint
conference is being held at that time
to negotiate wage scale, suspen.
sion of work shall take place until an
agreement has been secured, except
where joint wage conferences of oper.
ators and miners, or districts OF
groups of districts, meet, they arc
then authorized to resume operations
pending final negotiations and signing
a contract
The report provides for an assess
ment of so cents a month from each
miner, beginning May /, where con
tracts extend beyond April l. In this
manner the organization is preparing
for funds in case of strike.
In the event of failure of districts
or groups Of districts to obtain a con
tract with the operators before the ex
piration of the present contract
through the Coal Operators associa
ton or collectively, the question OF
making contracts by other methods
shall be left in the hands of the inter
national executive board and the dis
tricts affected
1t is reported that Vice President
T. L. Lewis, who will succeed Presi
dent Mitchell on April 1, is preparing
minority report.
Leaders Do Not Agree.
1t has been generally understood
that President Mitchell and Secretary
Treasurer Wilson favored signing 4
scale by districts or if necessary by
individuals, while Vice President
Lewis was insisting upon policy
which had in view the rehabilitation
of the interstate agreement. It was
reported that Mr.. Lewis has assur
ances from the operators of western
Pennsylvania and Ohio that they will
agree to an interstate joint conference
after April 1.