De Armitt's Scheme

Pittsburg-, July 29.- The "true uniformity" conference of coa! operators of the Pittsburg district coneluded its work last night at 9:15 o'clock, after a two days' session of close and persistent work. The twenty-one sections of the j uniformity agreement were thoroughly discussed and adopted section by section The best of feeling prevailed throughout I the meetings, the only exception being the bclting of Colonel Rend at Tues day's session. Just previous to adjournmént, however, Judge Owens announced that Colonel Rend had authorized him to state that any agreement the conference adopted would receive his hearty co-operation, and he would sdgn it if 95. 50, or even 20 per cent. of the opreaters were sincere in their sanction of it. The conference appointed a committee cf flve- W. P. De Armit, J. B. Zerbe, J. J. Stoyter, J. C. Dyoart, and N. F. Sanford, with General John Little- to secure the signííturc-s of the operators to the agreement. Thiscommittee will begin its work tcday. It will be aided by the Ohio board of arbitration. When the requislte number of signatures have been secured another meeting will be held to ratify the agreement. Provisions of the Agreement. Speeches were made by De Armit. Dempster, Little, Zerbe and others, all j expressing satisfaction over the result of the meeting and predicting the success of the plan. The agreement aa adopted provides for cash payment of wages, 2,000 pounds to the ton, check weighmen on the tipples, miners to be credlted with full quantity of coal contained in the mine car, abolition of company stores, semi-monthly pay day, uniform price for piek mining in the thin and thick vein district?, and screens not exceeding % inch. It also provides that in case of the violation of the provlaions and terms of the agreement a penalty of 10 centsper ton on the total output of coal mined by the violator will be charged, which penalty is to be paid to a commission ject to the right oL further arbitration or .ippeal. Provides for a üntformity Commlssion. Said penalty when colleeted is to be distributed among the signers of the agreement pro-rata, in proportion to the total amount of tonnage or output made by them during the year. The commission is to be ehosen annually and shall be known by the name of the "uniformity commission." It shall be composed of nine members, the thick and thin vein operators having proper representation. The members shall be sworn to faithfully and impartially perform the j duties of their office and will be authorj lzed and empowered to enforce the judgments and awarda It shall also be empowered to subpoena witnesses with the same forcé and effect as a board of arbitration duly appointed under the act of assembly of the state of Pennsylvania relating to compulsory arbitration. When Jt shall tin loto Forcé. The agreement shall not become effective unless it has been signed by 95 per cent. of the operators on or before Jan. 1, 1898. After 90 per cent. have signed the agreement, if any fifteen operators shall be of the opinión that enough have signed to render it effectIve, a meeting shall be called in Pittsburg to declare it in force. Mine Leaders Are Xot Recojfiii.ed. The operators, with a few exceptiors, want it distinctly understood that the passage oL an agreement whereby all operators are to adopt a similar system and are to pay the same relative price for mining has nothing to do with the great strike. They wish the miners to disabuse their minds of any such theories. The operators have also shut out the miners' leaders from taking any part in any conference that may take place through questions arisingbetween the operators and miners, by inserting a clause in the agreement stating that the commission shall be composed of workmen employed by the subscribers. Heretofore the miners' officials have represented the miners, but now the miners are to grapple with the questions in dispute alone.