Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-08-16
OFFER TO EQUALIZE PAY
BY MAKING RATE SAME
AS PICK WORKERS
OFFER IS Rejected
SCALE COMMITTEE OPENS CON
FERNCE AT CLEVELAND IN EF.
FORT TO REACH AGREEMENT
INSURiNG SETTLEMENT OF
DISPUTE.
fRy the Associated rress.)

Ky the Associated fresSD
Cleveland Ohio, Aug. 16.--Thc btu
mnuo8 coal operators OF the central
eompetitivt field in refusing the
miners demands for S. day in.
crease for day and monthly men. and
1oc a ton tor pick and machine min.
ing tn morning. offered the miners
a proposition agreeing to correct the
seeming inequality of the present
contract by advancing the wages OF
the day and monthly men the equiv
alent of the coal commissions award
to the pick miners, giving the day
and monthly men an increase OF
from s. to T. cents day
The operators will consider no
others demands made by the miners.
including the l0c per ton asked for
pick and machine mining.
The miners received the operators
reply in q joint conference OF the
scale committee. aud uuan fnonsty re
jected the proposition. A sub commit
tee of two operators and two min rs
from each Of the four states was then
named and went into q Joint confer
ence 10 consider the situation. After
being in session an hour the aub.com.
mittee adjourned at noon until .
O'Clock
The meet ng was presided over by
Michael Gallagher. a Cleveland opcl-
ator, who is chairman OF the Joint
meeting.
Under the award Of the bituminouS
coal commission the pick mining rate
was advanced u per cent. over the
then existing contract The day and
monthly men were advanced but 90
per cent. This inequality the opera.
tors agree to correct by advancing
the wages OF the day and monthly
mon. the equivalent of the pick
miners.
Operators Silent on Demands.
Cleveland, Ohio. Aug 1G.-The nj
luminous coal operators Of the central
competitive field were to renIv TO-DAY
to The supplemental demands made by
officials of tho United Mine Workers
of America late Saturday night. The
operators considered the demands at
conference yes crdaJ and, accord
ing to T.. e, Searls, president OF the
Illinois operators. thcir action was t.
be made known at todays Joint con
ference.
An increase of 81 a day for miners
paid by the day or month in and
around the bitnminouS mines and ~
cents an hour for tonnage men. retro.
active to Aug. l. were demanded. as
we'll as the abolition Of he automatic
penalty clause lining miners J. dav
for illegal strikes and settlement of
ditterentials by the districts affected.
The demands apply directly to only
the central connective ield--Westcrn
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio ana In.
diana But the industry throughout
this country and Canada is affected.
because all contracts are based upon
scale in this field.
Ilhere are approximately 100000 hi
luminous coal miners in this field.
About ~ pCr cent are day workers
who receive $G day
Il have no statement to make be-
fore the conference Is to what our
answer will be to The miners de.
mandS,' said +. C. Scarls. an IIinoi,
operator, this morning. 1T is a dif
hcult problem, however. to keep the
mines open when contracts entered
into with the miners can be repudiat-
ed and broken at will.
1t should be remembered that the
obligation TO mine .hc Cuuntry's coal
supply rests equal, on thc miners as
on the operators"