Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-04-01
Many Workings known to be
Shut Down for a Few
Days Only.
CHANGE IN OFFICERS
Mitchell Out and Lewis in-.-
Anthracite Business
is Good.

indianapolis, Ind, April IA quar-.
ter of million bituminous miners arc
idle today on account of the failure
Of the United Mine Workers of Amer,
, lea and coal operators to agree upon
a wage scale to go into effect today
District meetings are being held in
an effort to reach an agreement in
the different states and it is believed
the strike will be of short duration.
Part still working.
The central Pennsylvania and Indi-
ana mines are in operation, but all
the mines of western Pennsylvania,
Ohio, trans-M Mississippi and the out
lying districts have quit work.
All Illinois work stops.
Springfield, H., April 1.-All coal
mines in Illinois are closed today and
will remain so until an agreement be-
tween the operators and miners is
reached.
All In Iowa Closed.
Des Moines, Iowa, April Every
coal mine in Iowa is closed today.
Fifteen thousand men are idle.
May settle During Day.
Kansas City, Mo-, April 1T was
believed here today that $4,000 Goa!
miners in Missouri, Kansas. Okla
homa and Arkansas, who are enjoying
a holiday today, would return to work
tomorrow pending a settlement of the
difficulties with the. officials of the
Southwestern interstate Coal Opera
tors association. The operators and
miners conventions met separately
this morning. each to take steps Look
ing to an early conference.
Expect to Agree by Thursday.
Pittsburg, Pa, April About 40
600 miners in the Pittsburg district
are idle today. An effort will be
made Thursday by the miners and
operators to amicably adjust the
slight differences.
Officers Take New Duties.
Indianapolis, Ind, April 1.-At the
international headquarters of the
United Mine Workers of America to
day Vice President Thomas L.. Lewis
of Ohio succeeded John MitchelI as
president of the organization, w. D
Ryan of Illinois succeeded Lewis as
vice president, and j.. P. White ol
Iowa succeeded Congressman w. B
Wilson of the central pennsylvania
district as secretary-treasurer.
Different In Antbracite Field.
philadelphia, April Unlike tht
Situation in the soft coal fields, wher,
thousands of men are idle because o
wage disagreemenis, conditions in thu
anthracite field of eastern Pennsyl
vania. so far as employment is con
cerned, are growing better and pros
poets for steady work are brighte
than they have been for six months
1t is expected the mines Throughout
these regions will work full blast al
summer.
Leaves 100000 Idle.
indianapolis, Ind, April 1.-Th
contracts between the bituminou
coal operators and the United Min
Workers of America expired las
night, and 250,O0O miners, sprea
throughout many districts, laid dow
their tools until new agreement ca
be signed.
Tho principal fields in which tn
mines will be idle are those in, Ill
nois, Missouri, Kansas. Oklahoma, Z A
kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio an
northern Pennsylvania. The worker
in Texas, Michigan, Indiana and Kel
lucky have agreed to continue wor
pending the signing of new contract
and the West Virginia operators an
workers still are negotiating.
Not Likely to he Long.
The situation does not indicate
prolonged strike. An open winter an
Industrial depression have left lare
stock of coal on hand, and the diffe
ences between the miners and ope
ators are slight. r
It is practically agreed that Il
present wage scale will be continues
but some politics in connection vii
the change In the national officers
the miners organization and loc
differences between operators al
miners have resulted in temporal
suspension from work until a ne
wage scale Is agreed to, either by d
tricts or individual mines.
Unit system at tissue.
Until two years ago the bitumi