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42 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
Judge Rodgers. of the federal court at Fort
Smith, Ark., recently instructed the grand jury
to find indictments against every member of the
union at Spadra who refused to unload a car of
machinery because it was loaded at Chicago by
non-union men. It was consigned to the Consolidated
Coal Co., of Johnson county. The machinery
was followed to its destination by one of the
agitators of the Chicago strike, who conferred
with the labor men at Spadra and influenced
them against unloading the macninery. The
company sent to Clarksville for men, who, upon
arrival, were also influenced to withdraw. The
jury refused to obey the court's instructions and
did not indict the men.
* * *
The Zeigler Mining Co., of Zeigler, 111., where
the recent explosion occurred, killing 53 miners,
has made application to the federal courts at
Springfield that the temporary injunction restraining
the striking union miners from interfering
with the operation of the mines of Joseph Leiter
at Zeigler be made permanent. Leiter made an
emphatic statement to the effect that he believed
the explosion in his mine was caused by strikers.
whom he says he believes set fire to the mine or
ignited tne powder. Leiter further declared that
the air in the mine was pure, and that reports to
the contrary are false.
* * *
Unless the trouble between the Consolidated
Coal Co., of Saginaw, Mich., and the 200 miners
employed in its Riverside mine is settled within
a few days, the Riverside, Central. Standard No. 2
and Cass River mines, owned by the Consolidated
Co., will be shut down. The miners claim the
scale defines clearly that the man over whom the
trouble originated is of the employe class and not
employer, as the operators assert. The man is
willing to joint the union, but the company refuses
to recognize him if he does.
* * *
Because of the serious aspect of the situation
between the operators and mine workers in the
Illinois coal fields, President John Mitchell left
Scranton, Pa., for the seat of trouble on the 24th.
This necessarily caused all of the engagements
of Mr. Mitchell that have already been made by
the district leaders in the antnracite regions and
which would have kept him there nearly the entire
month of July, to be cancelled.
* * *
The dispute between the Pittsburgh vein coal
operators of eastern Ohio and the West Virginia
panhandle and the United Mine Workers as to
the interpretation of the interstate agreement, is
still unsettled and likely to remain unsettled until
the next interstate meeting. There is a difference
of opinion in regard to the dumping of coal
for more than eight hours in the twenty-four.
m m m
Despite the fact that the Central Labor Union
placed all the Pittsfield. Mass., dealers on the unfair
list, with the exception of one, coal handlers
who are out on strike as well as union men from
other locals are purchasing coal from them. The
dealers say there has not been any falling off in
the sale of coal since the ban was placed on them.
# * *
The Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. during June
added 100 more mines to its working staff in the
Pratt division. Most of the men came from Pennsylvania
and were accompanied by their families.
* * *
About 1,000 employes of the Superior Coal Co.,
of Wellston. O.. were ordered on strike on June
24, by officers of the United Mine Workers. The
strike was caused by the discharge of one man.
* * *
A strike was declared on June 28 at the coal
and iron mines, foundries and factories in the
districts of Dombrowa. Strzemieszyce and Sosnowiec.
Southwestern Interstate Convention.
At the recent annual meeting of the Southwestern
Interstate Coal Operators' Association, at
Kansas City, Mo., the voting for officers was conducted
on the tonnage plan, which gave the "Big
Four" absolute control of the meeting. The Big
Four is composed of the Central Coal & Coke Co..
the Western Coal & Mining Co.. the Mount Carmel
Coal Co. and the Southwest Coal & Improvement
Co. W. C. Perry, of the Central Coal & Coke Co.,
was chosen president to succeed B. F. Bush, who
declined to serve longer, and C. J. Devlin, of
Topeka, succeeded Mr. Perry as vice-president at
large. E. F. Watson was elected secretary to
succeed S. W. Kniffin, and Walton Holmes, of
Kansas City, president of the Pioneer Trust Co.,
was elected treasurer. The place of treasurer
had been filled by the former secretary. Under
the tonnage rule the constitution of the association
was changed and the general scale committee
abolished. In place of the scale committee an
executive committee, with all its powers, was
chosen. This committee will confer with the
United Mine Workers of America in Indianapolis
next February. The new executive committee
held a meeting and re-elected Bennett Brown
commissioner.
One of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co.'s mines
near Tamaqua. Pa., has been on fire for 47 years.