Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-19
minimum WAGE
BILL |SPUSHED
IN PARLIAMENT
Premier Announces 1t Will
... be Ready for Passage on
Thursday; Many Strikers
Will Return to. Work.

quith announced in the house of COM
mons today that the government
would introduce a minimum wage Dill
for miners tomorrow. He will ask the
house to read it a second time on We'd
nesday and complete the remaining
stages on Thursday.
An increase in the prices OF neces-
saries consequent on the virtual stop
page of freight shipments has caused
much distress to the workers famllles.
The action Of the government IN IN
Producing minimum wage legislation,
is criticized in some quarters and IS
likely to lead to considerable amount
of opposition. ~.
Many Of the british miners now on
strike will return to the pits this week,
according to the opinion expressed IN
some quarters. It Is believed that by
next Monday operations will be in full
swing in many colleries. In spite OF
strike leaders declaration that there
will be no resumption of work until
the minimum wage bill for under
ground workers has passed through
parliament there are Indications that
the miners are firing of the strike,
particularly in those districts where
its prolongation has made necessary
a reduction in the amount of the strike
pay drawn from the miners union.
Besides this much pressure is being
brought to bear on the miners by
other unionists forced out Of work by
the coal shortage.
The loss to the trades union fund
last week. including those OF the
miners unions, amounted to $l,5OO,-
900. Nine unions alone, exclusive or
the miners, on Saturday paid their
members $45O,OOO. The trades union
funds are largely invested In bonds,
the prices OF which have been affected
BY the strike and this causes them q
further loss.
r. There was a further curtailment or
the railway passenger service today,
while more factories have been
obliged to close A number Of steam
trawlers are laid up at the fishing port
OF Grimsby owing to the shortage OF
coal.
There is some talk today Of gen
eral strike throughout the country dur
ing May, but this may be due to the
fact that series of trade union move
ments will commence then. These may
possibly lead to a widespread stop
page in some industries.
Sees Only Short Suspension.
New York March 1S.-The belief
that suspension of work in the an
thracite coal mines on April l because
of the deadlock between the opera
tors and the miners over working con-
ditions will not be continued long ad
that a settlement will be reached was
expressed by coal operators here to-
day. It was pointed out that similar
situation existed when the agreement
of mine workers expired before.
There was q refusal Of miners de-
mands, followed by suspension and
later negotiations were opened and
the old agreement renewed.
Vice President Loomis of the Della
ware and Lackawana and Western
railroad said nothing had taken place
that would prevent further confer
epces on any new proposition made by
the miners. He would not undertake
to predict whether or not there would
be a strike this time he said, but he
felt that the rank and file of the mine
workers were not anxious for strike
for they were making good wages and
their relations with their employers
were friendly.
Eight Hundred shamokin Miners Quit.
Shamokin, Pa, March 18.-Eight
hundred employees of the Scott col
liery, near Shamokin, struck today
because the Mineral Railroad & Min
ing Co. refused to sell pea coal to the
employees. The company states that
outstanding orders from places out
side the coal regions had to be filled.
It is feared employees of other col.
lieries may strike for the same rea-
son. The Mineral Railroad & Mining
Co. is subsidiary Of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Co.