The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-03-26
SCALE COMMITTEES
REPORT RATIFIED
Not a Change is Made in the Great Document
Formated by National Committee to Prevent
a General Strike Of Soft Coal Miners.

ers' extraordinary national con-
ventiOn convened in the German
House auditorium Friday morning
it did so to complete the work of
removing all possibilitiesof a great
soft coal strike April l by finally
ratifying the national scale com
mittee's policy of making settle
ments with the coal operators
by districts, and also to complete
the work of putting the organiz-
alton on war footing for strikes
i'll some districts after April /. 1t
completed its work and ratified at
10 o'clock the scale committees
policy as embodied in it's report.
Before adjourning the convention
authorized the national executive
board to increase, decrease or dis
continue the so cents a month
strike assessment as it thought ad
viSable.
Following is the full text of the
scale committee report which was
adopted without Il single change
being made:
To the Special Meeting of the Nine
teenth Annual Convention, u.
NJ. w. of A.:
We, your Scale Committee, to
whom was referred the question Of
defining the policy of the organiza-
ton In the crisis now confronting
us, beg leave to report as follows:
Modern civilization and indus
trial developments receives it's
greatest impetus from the product
ion of coal. 1t is the general basis
Of manufacturing, transportation
and artificial heat. Any condition
that seriously disturbs the coal
industry affects the entire com
munity. No man or set of men,
partnership or corporation, can
afford to create condition, for
light and transient reasons, that
Will stop the production of coal
and paralyZe the industries of our
country. Such course can only
be defended upon the grounds that
some great wrong is being perpe-
trated, or some fundamental prin-
clple of human right invaded, for
which general stoppage of work
Is the only remedy.
Recognizing these truths, we
have tried to adjust the differences
existing between us and our en-
players by other means than strikes.
Oul present wage scale contracts
generally expire on March 81,
1905. On October %, 1907, at
our invitation, we met the repre-
sentativcS of the operators of the
central competitive coal field, COM
posed of Western Pennsylvania,
ONO, Indiana and Illinois, for the
purpose Of trying to agree upon u
GATE for holding an Interstate
Loint Conference to consider and,
II possible, adopt d scale of wages
and conditions Of employment for
Ihe ensuing wage scale period. On
Ihret different occasions since then
we have met them for the same
purpose. In all of these confer
ehceS the operators, with the ex-
cepllon OF indiana, have refused tC
agree TO date for such a confer
"lce either before or after the pre-.
sent scale expires on March 81. III
"oolli"n to this we have telegraph.
t,' Them naming a specific date.
tNaEHh -, as date for the con.
itIanc" and that invitation, with
the same exception, they have al
"'ciln"d. Under these circum
stances, we must either find som,
"Iaer means of settling our differ
ehces or stop work when our pre-
Hent contracts expire.
in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas
ohiauuma and Texas, comprisin,
-aJ Il known as the SoutherI
Ae-JH. We have contracts with til,
S"a. operators by which we hav,
@ST'ec to meet them in Join con
-erehce to arrange wage scale be
to'e the present one expires. :
>'.iaitaI condition exists i'll centra
chhS yivania, West Virginia
Western kentucky. Michigan
io"a ard Colorado. One of th
PRIME reasons for the success whicl
U-f organization has attained i
-Hal while we have contended 70
'Ie ''t>t conditions possible to sc
'Ift III making a scale. when one
II Aa> been agreed to we have he'll
." pe lnTlolable. We must no
's'Ah these contracts now EC