Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-30
J.. s. CREATES.
DEPARTMENT To
PROBE STRIKES
Federal Attorney Nam
ed by Daugherty to
Conduct Quiz in West.
|. c. c. Relaxes Priority
Control as Production
Increases.

Washington, Aug. 29.-(By The
Associated Press. "A decision to IN
stitute a special department of justice
organization to investigate alleged IL
legal stoppage of transportation serV-
Ice incident to the rail strike IN the
west, formal relaxation OF some OF
the interstate commerce commission
priority control of coal distribution,
publication of safety inspectors sur
veys of railroad engines and prepara,
ton of official estimates that SOFT coal
production for the week is rising
above 100000 tons, or 100 per cent
more than q month ago, were among
elements that emerged Tuesday out OF
the governments actual contact with
the industrial situation.
Lewis In Washington
In the midst of these developments,
John l.. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers, whose position
has been a dominant one in the con
tinuation of the deadlock which has
kept the anthracite fields of Penn
sylvania tied up, arrived in Washing
ton and began a series of conferences
shortly after White House expressions
indicated confidence that the long
delayed settlement in the anthracite
fields was to be looked for at once.
Attorney General Daugherty an
nounced that a separate investigation
would be built up Immediately in Los
Angeles, in charge of Hiram c. Todd,
United States attorney for northern
New York, who is to resign his post
at once to accept this special appoint
ment. 1t will be Mr.. Todd's duty, it
was said, to conduct inquiries into the
possible criminality involved In the
series of train stoppages and inter
ruptions to interstate commerce IN the
west. Likewise, the attorney general
sent formal instructions to all federal
district attorneys to follow up any
violations of federal court injunctions
obtained by railroads to prevent
strikers and their sympathizers from
molesting operations in shops and
yards The law, Mr.. Daugherty said,
must be impressively enforced in the
matter.
There is "a very general let-down
in the matter of inspection (of loco
motives) by carriers which gives cause
for concern" the interstate commerce
commission reported to the senate to-
day, answering a resolution brought
out by the controversy between strike
leaders and the railroads over safety
conditions of equipment since the
shopmen walked out.
Failing on inspections
The railroads are failing to make all
the inspections required by law, the
report continued, and managements
are reporting inability to do SO be-
cause of the strike, while the COM
missions own staff of inspectors are
merely sufficient in numbers to su-
pervise and test the carriers inspec-
tion system. Notwithstanding, inter
state commerce commission inspectors
during July inspected 4,065 locomo-
tives on 162 railroads, finding 2,456
defective and 169 unsafe to operate.
Many of the defects noted, it was said,
were not of importance, but 292 en-
gines still in service were found to
have% *defects in need of prompt
attention"
1t was pointed out that conditions
of disrepair indicated did not, in the
exercise of discretion and Judgment
by the inspectors affect the safety of
operations except in the case of the
locomotives nut out of service