The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-07-27
GOVERNMENT PLAN
NOT MADE PUBLIC
President Waiting Reason
able Time for ReOpening
of Coal Mines
GOVERNORS TO DEAL
WITH INDIVIDUALS
That Is Possible Plan to Settle Coal
Strike-LabOr Board Must Bring Rail
Disputants Together President is
Urged to Call Conference.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON. July 27.-''The gov
eminent is doing all in its power and is
working day and night to bring about
settlement of the strikes. Just because
we cannot talk about it is no reason TO
suppose we are doing nothing"
Thus did spokesman of the admins
tration describe the policy of the gov
eminent which at the moment has not
reached the point where its details can
be disclosed.
In a nutshell. however, this may be
said to be the fastest phase of the strike
situation: -.... ...
President Harding will wait reason
able length of time, perhaps a week, TO
determine whether the country's need
Twill be satisfied by the production of coal
under the emergency arrangements made
| by the operators since the invitation to
open the mines was extended by the
White House.
The alternative measures in the event
| that the nations fuel supply is made
quate cannot be revealed but they con
| template i'm q broad sense a definite pro
gram of cooperation with the governors
| of states whereby individual agreements
can be made with the striking miners.
Plans Status Quo.
The effort is to establish a sort of
status quo which will not prejudice the
case of either side while commission
| soon to be appointed by the President
| makes an exhaustive inquiry into the
coal industry and presents its recon-
mendations.
As for the rail strike President Hard
ing wants the United States railroad la
Dor board to make the moves that will
bring the disputants together. This in
wolves all the issues that have arisen
since the strike was called and here,
too, the tendency is to ask both sides
TO accept settlement on the easiS of the
points they are agreed upon and leave
the question of seniority rights to be
settled by an impartial tribunal or arbi-
tral body. ~ ..-a
Opposition to Conference.
Informal overtures are going on all
the time in both rail and coal strikes
and pressure just now is being exerted
upon the President to take the initia-
tive and call Il conference Of miners and
operators. Some administration Off
cials feel that such conference would
be futile as every possible solution was
canyasSed in vain when the last confer
GnCe was &eiu ana the net erect, IneS
say, would be to stop production while
the conference was drifting along in
| Washington without hope of a eomprom-
Use Nevertheless, the suggestion that
President Harding keep on trying and
| that he call John j.. Lewis to Washing
ton for further discussion of the situa-
| ton is being advanced feryently by those
who believe the public generally will tend
to criticize an administration which ac-
cepts anything the principals say as
hopeless and does not try to force a
compromise through the help of public
opinion.
The White House has had little to say
on the strike situation this week, the
| impression being given that more prog
ress can be made if the problem is not
aggravated by a continued flow of news
paper statements. There is disapproyal,
for instance, of the prOnunciamentos is
suing from both sides which officials of
the government say will only make re-
cession more difficult. Somebody must
give way before there can be a settle
ment and the administration thinks a
| few more DAYS will see a break in both
the rail and coal situations. Broadly
speaking the view of officials is more or
! less optimistic that out of the many un-
der-the-surface cndeavors Will come the
compromise arrangement which will send
the strikers back to work until the is
sues can be reconsidered in the calm mo-
ments of peace rather than in the pas
sionate moments of industrial war.