Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-25
Operators Fail to Agree
With Workers on New
Contract.
200, 900 ARE AFFECTED
Of Total 10000 Are Employed
in Illinois FieIds-COn-
CeSSionS Refused.

Chicago. ILL.,, March 25.-Delegates
representing operators and miners of
the bituminous coal districts of Illf-
nois, Ohio, Indiana and western Penn
sylvania admitted today that the mines
probably would be shut down at mid
night March 81 The present contract
between miners and operators expires
at that time.
After three weeks of negotiation in
Philadelphia between the owners and
the union. and a seven days confer
ence in Chicago, no results had been
obtained up to today. The policy COM
mittee of the miners is in session at
365 West Madison street. If conces-
sions are not made at once it is the
general opinion that an understand
ing cannot be reached in time to re-
new the contract by April 1.
The operators, so far, have offered
to renew the present contract for two
years more on the present terms, but
will make no further concessions. The
union up to the present time has not
receded from it's demands for In
creases in wages and the right to take
up internal differences in the various
districts for settlement locally.
100000 Miners Affected.
Should the mines close down at
midnight March 81, 100000 miners
will be thrown out of employment.
about $4,000 of these in Illinois. Prob
ably another 100000 miners in Iowa,
Kansas, Oklahoma and other soft coal
states will be involved indirectly. TheS
last general strike among bituminousX
miners was in 1897. Four years ago
the Illinois field was shut down by
strike which lasted from April 1 until
Sept. 1.
A protracted strike would seriously
affect the railways engaged as soft
coal carriers, whose gross revenues
are already running low on account of
general business depression. Some of
these railroads are said to have ar
ranged to lay off trains and crews
April if the miners walk out.
Possibility was evidenced today
that negotiations would be continued
between the operators and miners of
Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania,
Ohio dropping out. Some of the Ohio
men asserted that they would leave
Chicago today, while delegates from
other states were inclined to remain
here for another day or so.
Law Aids Miners.
The Ohio situation has been simpli-
fed by a recent law requiring the min
ers to be paid on the mine-run basis.
The union has been demanding this
for years. This method of payment
is general in the Illinois district, but
is still on the screen
age basis, and Indiana partly so. In
the former the miner is paid for all
the coal he. sends out, in the latter
only for the lump coal
The demand of the miners to which
the operators are most opposed is that
of giving the former the right to
bring up local conditions for settle
ment locally. The present contract
holds that nothing shall be done
which shall increase operating costs"
The operators contend that to allow
local settlements would increase ex-
penses and lead to constant trouble.
The miners also ask an advance of
per cent a ton for mine run work,
and a 10 per cent advance for day
work, dead work. and yardage, the
scent advance would add $2,500,0 600
to the wages paid annually in Illinois.