The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-17
FEDERAL ACTION IN
 CONNECTION WITH
 STRIKE UNSETTLED
Postoffice Department Is Ex- pected to Take First Steps
 In Defensive Move

Washington, october 16.-Federal action in connection with the threat ened national railroad strike still was confined today to the conferences brought about by President Harding between the interstate commerce commission and the public representa- lives on the railway labor boaid.
 Consideration of the major problem presented by & prospective paralysis of the country's carrier system prao- tically certainty at the opening of winter will be resumed at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon by the two gov ernment agencies.
 Members of the conference main tained silence today as to the basis upon which the problem would be dis cussed, leaving as the only hint in that respect the White House state ment that President Harding had deemed 1t necessary to bring together the commission and public members of the board.
 Harding Out of It
 The impression given at the White House today was that, having turned the matter over to the agencies es- tablished by law to handle 1t. Presi- dent Harding had taken no further initiative and would await the out come of the conferences.
 In labor circles. however, the ex- pectation was expressed that, the legal branch of the government would be 0xNi passed.
 T presume that the next thing will be the injunction" President William H. Johnston of the International As sociation of Machinists remarked. He did not give the basis for his expec- tation and there was no indication from other sources that government officials were preparing to appeal to the courts to prevent disruption of the nations business, particularly of the malls.
 President Harding's engagements for the day did not include inter- views with any of the cabinet mem- bers whose official duties would have made the strike an immediate issue in their departments. Attor- ney General Daugherty and Post master General Hays were both out
 
 having left word at his office that there would be no statement relating to the strike before Monday.
 Postoffice on Defense
 Tn view of the statement of rec ognized leaders of the railroad unions that no special consideration would be shown mail trains once the strike was h progress, official Washington looked to the postoffice department for the first defensive" move. If was recalled today that the government had not been called upon to meet organized Interference with its mail traffic since President Cleveiand's administration. During the most recent railroad labor trou- ble, the switchmen's strike in the maintained with practical normalcy and in other cases of disruption vf ordinary rail transportation there has been invariably a. tacit under standing, If not a formal decision, that the post was inviolate.
 Members of Congress, outside of the committees have to do with transportation and utilities, displaced because, it was said, of the promi- hence which has been given through out the present session to the possi- bility of reduced freight rates. At least one important "bloc" has gone on record as being of the opinion that such reduction was the most necessary of the several suggested steps looking to return of business n 00rpaa1 channels