Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-02
SHUT DOWN
PENDING AGREEMENT
Continued From Page ~

the bituminous coal mines Of Indiana
are deserted today and they Will re-
main idle until the twenty Thousand
miners receive notice that the wage
contract, agreed to in Cleveland, mas
been ratified at a referendum VOTE ,
! Miners officials and operators OF
this, the Eleventh district or the
United Mine Workers of America, de'
clare that the contract will carry Dy
an almost unanimous vote.
Business in Indiana will not oe
hammered, as large manufacturers
have laid in supplies of coal TO last
them several weeks.
Ohio Expects Two Weeks Suspension
! Columbus, o., April l. The my
thousand bituminous coal miners III
! tho southern and eastern mining dls-
tricts of Ohio are idle today. Although
! this is a holiday in celebration or the
eight hour day, the men will not re.
! turn to work until the completion OF
the count in the referendum VOTE
which will not be before April Is, &C
cording to G. w. Savage, Ohio secre-
,tarv Of the United Mine workers.
emergency men were left in the
mines however, to prevent damage by
water.
Illinois District in Agreement.
St Louis. Mo-, April Coal miners
NJ Relleyille of the sub-district are
today celebrating prospects OF wage
increase of three cents ton. me
increase was provided in the settle
ment tentatively made recently with
the illinois operators. 1t probably
viii, he month before the new scale
lis ratified.
Under a series of agreements ex-
tending over several years. the miners
have received concessions until un-
der the new arrangement they Will re-
ceive sixty-one cents ton.
There are 10000 miners In the
Belleville sub-district, which embraces
A dozen counties near East st. LOUIS
and virtually supplies the st. Louis
market.
Under the new scale the eight hour
day will remain in force. Inc tnree
cent wage increase is the only mater'
ial change in conditions.
The miners will not return to work
until the tentative agreement mas oeen
signed by the officials .of the union.
Anthracite Men Hopeful.
New York. April 1.-Anthracite coal
operators believed the suspension OF
work in the hard coal region which
went into effect today will not con-
tirue long and that the meeting OF the
onerators' committee and representa-
tiyes of the miners in Philadelphia on
April 10, will result in basis OF set
tIement This belief Is strengthened,
the operators say by the 1act tnat
there have been no traces OF Dltter'
ness shown on either side.
Just what proposition the miners
will submit has not been learned, Dut
the operators think the chief points OF
issue will be the questions OF increas'
ed wages and'recognition of the union.
Most of the operators are IN favor OF
granting an increase in wages Wnile
one railroad is said to oppose an IN
crease, claiming that 1t would wipe
out it's margin of profit.
II ia reported here today several In
dependent companies had made spec
ial ARRANGEMENTS with their men to
continue mining and that this coal
will be sold to consumers at an IN
creased cost.
Southwest Miners Still at Work.
Kansas City, Mo-, April 1.-What-
ever may be the final outcome OF the
efforts Of the coal miners and opera
tors of the southwest to agree on
new contract for the ensuing two
years. there will be no suspension OF
operations before May 1. This Is in
accordance with a continuation clause
of the agreement Of two years ago and
representatives of both the operators
and miners said today that it would
be respected.
The districts in this territory are
numbers IA, "a and rs, comprising
Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri
and Kansas.
Representatives Of the miners and
GENERATORS are expected to meet here
soon to confer relative to local condi-
lions at the mines, but as to matters
Of general Importance, the miners will
be bound by the demands Of the ma
tional organization.