The sun., 1919-09-20
MINERS CONVENTION
VOTES SIX HOUR DAY.
Sixty Per Cent. Wage Increase
and Five Day Week Also
to Be Demanded.
STRIKE THREAT NOV.
Resolution Bars Delegates
From Compromising With
Coal Operators.

CLEVELAND, Sept 1.-THE wage scale
demands to be presented to the soft
coal operators in the central competi-
tive fields of Ohio, Illinois and Western
Pennsylvania, which will serve as the
basis Of relative wage scales in all the
bituminous fields Of the country, will
be submitted to the convention Of the
United Mine Workers OF America Mon
DAY or Tuesday. Attempts will be made
to make mandatory the instructions of
the convention on tho principal demands
regarding the amount of the increase,
presumably about 60 per cent, and the
shortening of working time to six hours
daily, five days a week The miners
representatives in the joint scale con-
ference at Buffalo, September rs, will
be directed either to obtain recognition
OF these principal demands without
change or to call out the bituminous
miners Of the country In a general strike
November /.
A large number of resolutions critics.
ing former scale conferees for taking
demands formulated In convention as a
basis OF negotiation and accepting agree
ments embodying something less than
the original demands and directing them
this time to insist upon the adopting
OF the demands Of the convention to
the letter have been submitted and in
the present temper OF the delegates the
adoption of such mandatory instruc-
lions seems possible.
Formulating Scale Demands.
The men who arc formulating the
scale demands on which the question
OF general strike OF coal miners this
fall will depend are Frank Harrington
of Springfield, Ill. and Philip Murray
OF Pittsburg, presidents of the Illinois
and western Pennsylvania district or
CARNATIONS, respectively, TO whom the
work has been referred by the scale
committee. General agreement as to
the extent of the wage demands is said
to exist in the committee and the gen
eral nature OF the demands has been
determined
An amendment to the constitution
making the six hour day instead of the
eight hour day one o. the aims of the
organization to-day was adopted. II
reado that mot more than six hours
from bank to bank in each twenty.
four hours shall be worked by menu
bers OF our organization" and this Ia
the Form in which the demand will
probably be presented to the operators.
To-day's sessions of the convention
wero devoted entirely to constitutional
changes, the most important being the
adoption of the elective instead of the
appointive system for organizers.
auditors and other officials. The ap-
pointive system, 1t was declared, af-
forded the possibility OF building up a
machine to perpetuate the control of the
higher officials.
Another amendment proposing that
officials should be elected for only one
term and must go back into the pits as
working miners for at least two years
before becoming again eligible was.
however. rejected.
The convention decided that the off,
Gals should share in any Increased pros
perity obtained by the miners as a re-
suit OF the coming scale negotiations.
1t was recommended that the salaries
OF the president, secretary Urea surer
and other officers should be increased
by the same percentage as is granted
In the new scale.
Want Bars on I. w. w. Members.
The evening adjournment was taken
in the midst ofNa debate on an amend
ment Strengthening the constitutional
provisions against membership in the
Industrial Workers Of the World and