Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1910 — MINERS WILL STRIKE IN TWO BIG STATES [ARTICLE]

MINERS WILL STRIKE IN TWO BIG STATES

Illinois and Pennsylvania Bituminous Mon to Quit

While, as a result of the plan adopted by the coal miners' international convention at Cincinnati, 0., there ■will tye no country-wide strike of the bituminous miners, President T. L. Lewis, of the miners, declared just before leaving this city for Indianapolis that “Pennsylvania and Illinois will be completely tied up.” The miners in the two districts number 190,000. ' That means a fight in the two largest bituminous fields in the United States. Pennsylvania’s annual produc. tlon is 150,000,000 tons and Illinois’ Is 50,000,000 tons. Ohio’s production is 35,000,000 tons, giving employment to 60,000 miners. r Illinois operators and miners face the most difficult problems. The first question after the strike begins is whether the operators will be permitted to install thd safety appliances required by the law enacted by the last legislature. The cost of these im» provements is estimated at $5,000,000. Illinois miners have not yet asked for a conference with operators, but are expected to do so within a few days. Instructions were given throughout the state yesterday to prepare the mines for the shut-down. When work ceases today it will not be resumed until an agreement Is made. “I think most of the Ohio districts will be at work after, April 1,” President Lewis said. “Ohio is one of the states in which the operators can sign by districts or-even subdistricts, and I think one of the first to sign will be the big Hocking district." Under the plan adopted by the miners' convention all mines will be idle, as usual, on April 1, which is the holiday anniversary of the eight-hour day. Then no miners are to return to work the next day unless ordered to do so by their district officials.