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Show MINERS FIGHTING FOR HSR WAGES Three Hundred Thousand Union Men in Nine' States Quit Work Pending Settlement. XEW WAGE SCALE CHIEF POINT IN CONTROVERSY Should Struggle Be Prolonged, Commercial and Financial Interests Will Suffer. INDIANAPOLIS, March 31. Three hundred thousand organized miners of tho bituminous coal fields of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa. Missouri, Mis-souri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas quit work at midnight pending settlement settle-ment of a new wage scale. Officers of tho United Mino "Workers of North America declared the walkout walk-out was not a strike, but merely a suspension of work bccau60 no -wage scale had been made to rcpiace the old scale, which expired with March. Thc miners demand an increase of pay, in some instances of 5 cents u. ton, and in other instances more, with certain changes in working conditions. Confidence was expressod by the operators that there would be no general gen-eral coal famine, large supplies of fuel having .been stored in anticipation of tho walk-out. "While the miners predict tho suspension will be cut short by a prompt signing of wage scales, some of the operators maintain tho mines may be kept closed for a mouth, or longer. Ono Settlement Made. The first, settlement came in an announcement an-nouncement from Brazil, Ind., the center of tho Indiana block coal field, where the demand for a 5-cent iucrease was granted. Tho conditions in the various states, reported to the national union headquarters, head-quarters, follow: Illinois 900 mines closed and 75,000 miners out; joint conference on wages called for Monday in Chicago: operators say men demand increase of JO cents a ton; possibility of. a four months' shut-down; two months' sppply of coal on, hand; no immediate coal famine in Chicago. Indiana 1S,000 miners out; conference confer-ence arranged for "Wednesday at Terrc Haute. Pennsylvania 10,000 men ordered out; temporary scale expected by Saturday; Satur-day; settlement of thc powder question to "bo held in abeyance. Iowa Every mine in Iowa ordered closed pending settlement of tho wage scale. Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas Ar-kansas Comprising the southwestern intcrstato fields 35,000 miners out; early settlement expected; minors assert as-sert they havo $-100,000 to carry on the light. Ohio All miners ordered to quit work; state leader declares it is a brief suspension; at Lorain, steel plant shut down and threw out 10,000 workmen because of coal shortage. Statement of Lewis. President Lewis, before leaving to visit the centers of the different mining fields, made the following estimate ot the number of miners affected by the suspension ot! work: Western and central Pennsylvania, 100.000. Ohio, -17,00. Indiana. JS.000. "West Virginia, 10,000. Illinois. 712,000. Iowa, 15,000. Michigan, 5000. Kansas, Arkansas, Texas and Olka- homa. 25,000. Colorado, 5000. Western Kcntuck, 50u0. Totnl, 300,000. "Reviewing the situation, President Lewis said: "Whon thc national executive board adjourned tonight we all felt the prospect was very satisfactory for the miners. In many districts it is now onlv a question" of the minors and operators sitting down together and talking over the situation. "in eastorn Ohio, where we expected strong opposition, it is reported three of tho largest companies arc ready to sign the contract we formulated at our recent meeting in Cincinnati. "In Indiana and tho Hocking district in Ohio we will reach a settlement next week. There probably will be more difficulty in. western .Pennsylvania and Illinois, where thc powder and shot firers' wage questions arc involved." ALL COAL MINES OF IiLINOIS CLOSED ST. LOUIS. Mtnch 31. Nine hundred coal mines In Illinois closed down tlila afternoon and tonight and TFi.OOO miners stopped work. Tho mines will lie closed until a now wage scale Is signed, tho old agreement expiring aL S o'clock today. When the whistles blow at the end of the day shift the miners walked out with their Implements', and tho workings wuro turned over to thc pump men and engineers, engi-neers, who will be the only inun at work tomorrow morning. The mines will ho closed for probably sixty days and possibly for four months, according to statements by members of the operators' executive committee. Bono of Contention. O L. Garrison, president of the Big Muddy Coal & Iron company and a member mem-ber of tho committee, says this operators arc willing to grant an IncreaKo In wages, but w not jmy the shot firens ami n It is upon this latter point negotiations mThofninlncrs. under the contract which cxilnul tonight, earned S3 60 to M a day of olht hours. They demand an In-crenso In-crenso of 10 ccnin a Ion. They also ask the operators to pay the i.e . t got llrln" The operators say If they hnint ho demand It will mean an increase In cxVnsc of $11,000,000 annually, which the public eventually must pn. n Immediate mm no In coal 13 e.- SSH rS SKKfVSi S&M !nnrq i mni tho union demands. Continued on Pago Three. X MINERS FIGHTING FOR HIGHER WAGES Continued from x'aco One. the minors will treat with individual operators or th entire stato handled through the general executive committee. commit-tee. BOTH SIDES PREDICT LONG AND HARD FIGHT KANSAS CITY. March 31. Approximately Approxi-mately 35,000 union coal miners quit work In the southwestern fields, composed of the slates of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma Okla-homa and Arkansas, today. The men went out quietly. They were ordered from the miners' headquarters at Pittsburg. Kan., yesterday to quit. When the operators learned of this move last night they requested the men to remove their tools upon leaving the shafts to-dav. to-dav. This was done. Engineers, firemen and pumpmen alone remained at work. It Is said an effort Is being made by the minora to induce these workers to quit. The operators, however, profess no fear on this score. Both miners and operators predict a long, determined fight In this field. Last month an effort was mado In conference to reach an agreement. It was a stormy meeting and at no time were they near a settlement. The operators claim they cannot grant the increased wages demanded by the men because of the competition from nonunion mines and dealers in fuel oil and gas Is too keen. For thirty days railroads and other large consumers of coal have been storing stor-ing fuel and no Immediate famine is feared. MINES IN IOWA WILL BE COMPLETELY TIED UP DES MOINES, Ta.. March 31. Sixteen thousand union conl miners hi Iowa will be Idle for nn Indefinite porlod as a result re-sult of the suspension of woik ordered this afternoon at the Iowa district convention con-vention of the Unilcd Mine Workers of America. . No coal will be mined in the slate until after the settlement of the new wage schedule for the bleuuinl period beginning begin-ning today. Negotiations for the new wag scale will be opened at a Joint conference of mners and operators In Des Moines, April 11. The conference for the adjustment of the wage problem was decided de-cided upon this afternoon, when a Joint meeting of the operators and minors was held to discuss the proposition to furnish miners to protect the mines pending the settlement of the wage question. To this suggestion the miners ag)ced. For a tlmo a deadlock was threatened on the proposition that the operators must signify their willingness to negotiate a favorable wugc scale and pay to the miners who kept up tho mines an additional addi-tional 5.C5 per cent over the old scale on t)Wr day's wage. The operators objected object-ed declaring they would sacrifice their mines first. The situation was finally cleared, however, and articles of agreement agree-ment signed. EIGHTEEN THOUSAND TO GO OUT IN INDIANA TERRE HAUTE. Ind.. March 31 ICIghtecn thousand minors employed In thi. bituminous coal districts of Indiana will begin a strike for higher wages tomorrow. to-morrow. , ,. ,, . ,, The convention of the United Mlno Workers, district No. 11. adjourned tonight, to-night, without ogreelng on a new wage SCphila II. Peuna. secretary of the Indiana Indi-ana Bituminous Coal Operators association, associa-tion, announced tonlghl that the mine own.-rs would meet the miners In Joint conference at Torre Maute next Wednesday. Wednes-day. It Is not believed that tho strike wlil hist long. |