Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-07
OPERATORS AND MINERS OF CEN
TRIAL COMPETITIVE FIELD ARE
NOW HOLDING CONFERENCES
AT INDIANAPOLIS. -,
IOWA MINES MAY :
SOON BE OPENED
SLIGHT DIFFICULTY MET IN SET.
TLlNG SCALE 70 RFiRsT DIS
TRIcT LEADS MEN TO LOOK
FOR EARLY REDUCTION

indianapolis. Ind, April s.-The
coal operators of the Central competl.
tive field. consisting of western Penn
sylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana are
today holding conference with repre-.
sentatives Of the United Mine Work
ers of America to take the initial
steps looking to the issuing Of a call
Tor Joint convention to fix a wage
scale.
Illinois Refuses to Confer
Whlle several Of the Illinois opera
tors are here 1t was stated they would
not go into the conference offlcially
with the miners of the four states and
the operators Of the other three. The
otfic1als of the miners express conf
dence that the conference will result
IN the resumption Of mining opera
tions generally at the old wage scale.
The Situation In Iowa.
Dos Moines, April 6.--The Iowa
miners and operators are get
ting together and their slight difficul-
Ties over new wage scale will soon
De over, and the mines Of Iowa will
doubtless open by the 10th of the pres.
ent month.
BY adopting the scale paid in dis.
tr1ct No. under the old agreement
the scale committees Of. the mine ewn.
ers and workers yesterday indicated
that an early adjustment OF their DIFF.
Ierencesawtll, be made and that prac.
tlcal!y the same scale paid last year
VIII be continued In the new one-year
agreement. The committees at their
Joint meetings have already made a
record for progress and prominent
members Of the two organizations
give the encouraging assurance that
peaceful conditions will prevail with
in a week.
The members of the scale commit
tee of the United Mine Workers Of
America dropped any hostility they
may have felt toward the employers
when the latter early in the negotia-
tions tentatively agreed not to argue
Tor reduction of the scale paid un-
der the agreement which expired
March 81. The operator will be will
ing to pay material or general in
crease IN wages. From the action of
the scale committees in two other
states who have adopted the old scale,
1t would look as though the miners
are in favor Of accepting the scale
they have been getting.
The scale adopted for sub-district
No. l indicates the miners and day la
borers, and this class Of labor is the
most largely employed. Following is
the scale:
Mine run coal, per ton. .....$ 81
Hand picked coal, per ton. 80. LOS
Screen lump coal, per ton. ..... LOB
o-foot entry, per yard ........ 1.72
l2-foot entry, per yard ...... 1.35
l4-foot entry, per yard. 1.3O
Room turning IL to 14-foot door
Double shifting entries, 25 cents per
yard extra.
There are four sub.districts in Iowa
and they will be taken up AMI dealt
with separately. But the disposition
of the first district at the old scale
without much debate. for either party.
is good omen. This district includes
the mines near Centerville.
There is no doubt but what the
classification of the men who operate
the mine machinery will be changed
and this revision will necessitate a
change in scale paid such workers.
The classification under the old agree
ment has not proven satisfactory and
has brought much complaint from the
men. 1t is not thought that there will
be any hitch in the progress. as the
operators will consent to some con-
cessions.