New-York tribune., 1910-03-30
COAL SITUATION
MANY LOCAL STRIKES
NAY BE CALLED.
Negotiations of at Cincinnati
Crisis VAL .4rTTuc on
Thursday.

Thursday.
Cincinnati March % s-OHly immediate IN
creasos IT, wages will prevent numerous
end wide.Trrad strikes in the bitu;ninous
Goa mines Of tho country, according 10
action taken by the special convention OF
tie United Mine Workers late to-day. fol-
lowing nnai disagreement and dissolution
~ the ioirt conference % the central com
petitive field.
The terms proposed Ov Ue miners Tor The
continuation of work after the expiration
of the present agreements on midnight or
Thursday viii admit Of no compromise. 50
nsr as wages are concerned. ON mos; other
questions however. there is room for agree
ment, and the general trend OF opinion
among men and employers tonight was
that no long suspension VIII nesuH except
IN a few fields
Tho most threatening aspect oNershadows
tile Pennsylvania and the Illinois FIELDS. in
PENNSYLVANIA there can be no new contract
ehort % settlement of the controversy
over thc new explosive laws Of that state
snd IN Illinois the old problem OF payment
Tor the services % shot firers looms up as
possible barrier TO peaceful settlement
briefly. the miners demands are that
- operators agree 10 PAY The Increased
wages 81 Eve cents a ton on pick mines
screen ,csl. with proportionate advances
for other met ihods Of mining and outside
laho: rs plereQuiS,e 10 other neSoiia-
t,ons ou other questions.
Provisional Operation.
N-ita the advance in pay assured, work
lasv 10 conJirued in The mines affected
p.ndlng a solution % tho minor points.
provided tie national executive hoard or
tie union approves action To this effect by
she distiic, officers. Tho national board t.
l-ads the final power so far as the union
s. concerned. but II H. expressly forbidden
20 modify the wage demands.
Il was announced 10y President T. l.
Lewis that the proposition adopted by the
convention Is not 20 he construed as az
Iecting contracts which do not expire uu-
M after April I. The announcement pre-
cludes immediate troul'e in Montana,
wyoming and Washington.
provision that agreements may he
signed by states. districts or groups 81
districts viii il Is thought have a like
beneficial effect in Onto and Indiana. Only
= few operators In these states are
thought 10 be determined 20 hold out
against an advance, and Mr. Lewis OK
plsined that Tho provision was inserted TO
preven; whole state being tied up by the
''obstinacy" of few mine owners.
Tho provision is also expected TO apply
beuehcsIly 10 Texas and parts - the
Southwestern competitive field where mines
IN Missouri, for example, form a part OF
the Iowa district and some Kansss mines
are included ia Missouri
Pennsylvania Struggle.
That The Pennsylvania miners are expect
ing hard struggle was indicated by
amendments TO the original propagation
offered 10y Francis Feehan. head of the
unions organization IN that state The
FIRST Of these declares that mine owners
must sign FOR al collieries controlled by
them, irrespective Of the districts in which
tl,oir properties lie, unless the national
hoard rules otherwise
The second provides that the operators
must bear the increased cost of new ex-
plosives over black powder. and substitut,
Of mine Tor screen basis in all work
iuSs in which The new explosives are used
Most of tho operators who have beer
taxing part IN the three weeks OF negotia
zion departed when the Joint conference
broke up. Except the Pennsylvania men
however those that remained tonight eN
pressed general satisfaction with the out,
look
The miners have adopted practically tho
original proposition of the operators" sal,
" T.. Chapman, OF Columbus The Ohio
"perators are satisfied 70 a man. and II
Ihere is distr-t that viii not come to al
agreement We do not know it,"
The international cXccrtivc board of TN,
mlns workers Is TO take up its burdens
without delay. At the close ~ the con
vention President Lewis announced that
tha; body would meet in indianapolis 10,
morrow afternoon.
Mr.. Lewis Optimistic.
l.aje tonight President Lewis issued .
signed statement reviewing the outlook anC
predicting peace except in d 9ew instances
i3e said, IN par.
There may be temporary suspensions il
come of the districts until are able I,
reach The operators and explain the sit
ustion. The situation in Illinois and West
cin Pennsylvania may be somewhat com
ldCateC fo- e couple OF weeks Or a itti,
longer, but ] am satisfied that eveIythin,
VII be strs:a ahteneC OFT without any yer,
serious trouble.
The non-unIoa operators OF Central Penn
:ylvania a.Ieaoy have posted nouces 70
The advance AID the mine owners I'M III
irwin district east of f:ttsburg, viii nav,
'heir nOticvs UP on Friday This Nln ais,
- true OF many non-uHion operators %
West Virginia.
stock "a llblers n coal viii be lie mos
disappointed OF an the men who tried q
bring about a strike affecting the entir'
country. ! hope that they viii oe require,
10 pay the penalty % their own folly.
JohnstoWn. Penn, March 2s.-The Be
~lnd-White Cosi Company. operating a.
this section and employing over eleven thou
sand men. to-day posted notice of a vol
Uniary inc'easo of per cent in wages, q
80 into effect april I. The BerUIrd- white
company miners are ali non-UuioL.