The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-07-07
NINE MANAGERS MEET
Second District Organization Is
Formed at Abba. s..

A Mine Managers Association of
District No. 2 of the Iowa coal fields
was organized at a largely attended
meeting in Abba. District No. 2 in
cludes all the mines in the Oskaloosa
field. The officers elected are:
President-P.. H. Waterman, Hite-
man. .H
Vice Pres.-Jacob Ritter, Hynes.
Secy-Treas.-W. w. Branigar, Boil
ton.
Mine managers from all parts of the
district were in attendance and the
various questions which are perplex-
ing to them were discussed. The meet
ing had been called for the purpose
of perfecting an organization, secur-
ing a place of meeting and transact
ing other business. 1t was determin.
ed to abide by the constitution as
used in District No. l, and this con-
stitution was adopted. Abba was Sc
lected as the place of meeting and
the time was set for tl1e4 first 'Satur-
day after the Goth OF each month. The
next meeting will be held in Abba the
first Saturday after the Goth of July,
in the court room, at 700 o'clock.
The president was empowered to Sc
lect a committee who will prepare
program for the next meeting. Such
an organization was effected for the
purpose of talking over the different
matters that come in mining, and in
which the various pit bosses and man
ayers have different opinions.
At the first meeting many of these
for instance the question of the min
er loading dirty coal" Jacob Ritter,
who recently came to the Smoky Hol-
low mines and who has been very
successful in solving a tangle that for
weeks tied up that mine in suspen.
sion. has installed the docking system
at the Smoky Hollow mines, claim
ing that the man who pays for having
the coal mined, is entitled to clean
coal. Under the system now in force,
stated Mr.. Ritter, Smoky Hollow is
now getting the cleanest coal that
has ever come from that mine. 1t was
shown that in other parts of the dis
trict the miners have loaded huge
chunks of coal and black jack and
rock, which the managers claim is in
violation OF the Des Moines agree
ment. The miners have claimed that
the owners must strip the coal from
the jack and rock and not dock them
for that much coal. 1t was shown that
as high as 300 pounds of dirty coal
had been loaded out in a ton car.
Some present will throw out such
coal and the matter will have to be
settled by board Of arbitration.
The question of carbide lights was
also discussed. The state board Of
health has condemned the light, while
the agreement made at Des Moines
states animal or mineral oil shall be
used. The miners who use carbide
lights are violating an agreement.
Whether the light is detrimental to
health and whether It is better and
cheaper light must be settled by an
other source. The agreement calls
for animal or mineral oil to be used
and If the operators permit the car
bide light they are left open to dam
age suit in case OF the death OF
miner.
The question of driving deficient en-
try in rock was given an airing and
this question Is one that has been per-
picking. The miners have been foxy
and have worked the operators with
carrying tales that one camp is pay
ing more than another. This has led
to all sorts OF prices being made and
not keeping close to the agreement on
the part Of the operators. all resulting
In the good to the miner. Many other
questions were gone into and indi-
cate that future meetings will be most
to both mine managers
and miners themselves. The mine
managers expressed themselves as
greatly pleased with majority OF the
miners in the district in their en-,
deavor to live strictly to the agree
ment and such an organization will
result III good for the min
er as Wen ss the manager. The mostl