River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-04-04
HARD COAL WAR ON
OFFICIALS ORDER 10000 AN
THRAcITE MINERS TO
QUIT WORK.
BITUMINOUS COAL WAR OVER
Pennsylvania Mines Are Well Pre-
pared for Big Strike-1o,ooo Men
Already Out-Great Britain's Wage
Measure Now Law.

Cleveland, O.-The union here has
ordered 10000 miners in the anthra-
cite regions of Pennsylvania TO quit
work. This is the initial step toward
stoppage in coal production in the
United States as a result of the mi
ners' many wage disputes.
The suspension was ordered be-
cause of the operators refusal to
grant the union demands for increased
pay.
President White said the suspension
would be equal to strike, except that
the men at the pumps and others nee
essary to protect mine property would
be kept at work.
The shutting down of the mines, the
union officials say, will cause loss in
the coal production of the country OF
7,083,000 bushels of anthracite q
month and will entail loss in pay to
the miners of not less than $35O,OOO
for every day they remain out.
Measures to induce miners and OPP
orators to renew negotiations broken
off in New York several weeks ago,
already are talked.
The bituminous mine workers wage
dispute, involving about 100000 more
miners, has been settled on basis
satisfactory to both sides, it has been
announced. There will be a short sus-
pension in the bituminous fields, to
permit the operators and miners OF
the different states to settle their in
ternal differences, but according to
the agreement made in the joint con-
ference, no change in present condi-
tons will be made that will increase
the cost of mining over the agree
ment reached here or keep the miners
from earning as much as they can.
By the agreement the miners will
receive an increase of five cents a
ton for screened coal, three cents for
mine run, 5.5 per cent for day labor
and dead work and five hours on Sat
urday with five hours pay. All other
demands are waived. The additional
rates demanded by the Illinois miners
in their convention will be dropped.
Wilkesbarre, Pa.-President John p.
Whites order for suspension OF all
work in the anthracite fields April
found the miners prepared, and as a
unit they will walk from the cham
bers, ready to stand by the national
leaders and fight out their demands
with the operators.
More than ten thousand men al
ready have left the collieries and will
not take advantage of the opportunity
to get in the last day.
The suspension order is considered
by the miners to mean strike. 1t is
exactly what they have been prepar
ing for. The matter of submitting the
strike situation to referendum vote
means that the miners will stand to
a man and vote for strike.
The defense forced upon the organ
iZation has so changed conditions that
a mere wage concession could not re-
store peace. The feeling everywhere
prevails that the question of recogni-
ton must be definitely decided in the
meantime. The miners are ready to
enter a struggle for the purpose of
deciding this issue.
London.-The governments mini
mum wage bill has become a law, it
having received the royal assent.
Simultaneous balloting by the coal
miners throughout the British isles
was proceeding to decide whether the
strikers should return to work pend
ing a decision by the district boards,
provided for in the bill, fixing wages
in the various coal mine districts.
While the result will not be known
officially until Thursday, there was
prevalent everywhere feeling of OPP
timism that the vote would favor re-
sumption, and that meantime thou
sands of miners would return in anti
cipation of such decisl0n.