The Washington herald., 1922-08-07
President May Seize Key
Mines to Obtain Soft
Coal Supply.
WOULD TAKE OVER
NEEDED RAILROADS
Big Four Drafts Appeal
To /. c. c. on Question
Of Car Repairs.

Unless the coming week brings
substantial Improvement in the
coal and rail situations. the ad-
ministration is expected to move
promptly along the following lines:
Coal Strike-Take over the large
/ key mines in the unionized bitum-
/ inous fields. place them under heavy
military guard as a precaution
against disorder. and call upon the
miners. whether union or non
union, TO return to work as en-
ployes OF the government pending
/ the settlement of the strike.
Rail Strike-Assume control OF
roads. particularly those in the
coal producing regions. whenever
IL becomes apparent that as a re-
suit Of the shopmen's strike they
are unable to properly serve the
4 public.
Conditions Growing Worse.
The administration faces the new
4 week with conditions far worse
than they have been at any time
since the twin strikes began and
with prospects for settlement ad-
mittedly offering little encourage
ment. In line with its policy OF
exhausting every possible means
of adjustment before resorting 10
drastic action. the government how
ever. is willing to give both sides
one more chance to get together.
No steps will be taken to deal
| with the coal situation until the
4 operators and miners Of the CEN
tral competitive field have had an
opportunity TO make peace at their
Cleveland conference today. In
Official circles this conference is
viewed with pessimism. and II Is
not believed that a sufficient num-
Der Of the operators will join the
Insurgents TO make a separate and
effective peace with the striker
! Plans for meeting the situation as
soon as il becomes apparent thar
the conference has failed have al
ready been worked out by the sd-
ministration. it was stated upon IN.
highest authority.
Output I.Oo0.ooo Ton. short.
The administration is thoroush'v
In earnest when il declares that =
VIII permit nothing to sand in tra
way Of a sufficient coal Supul..
for the nation this winter.
The necessity for more effective
situation. was strikinCly empha-
sized by the report Of the GeoIos-
ical Survey indicating that. despi e
all the efforts of the ederal COZ
ernment to increase production tsa
coal output for the past week was
over 100000 tons short Of u.
weekly average before the xhu.
mems strike began.
Car Repairs Laggfns.
This report spoke with consid-
erably more authority on cnrd tiuns
than the claims Of the various fac-
mons concern ng the state Of tho
rolling stock as a result Of the
lasglU- n repair work since -.
sh"nmen went on strike. The fac;
that the output is ZOO. 900 tons no
week less since the shopmen struck
did not harmonic very well with
the claims of the executives thar
there is nothing to worry about in
the condition of the rolling stock.
Arthur ]. Lowell and Paul Ste-
phenson, Washington representa-
tives. respectively. Of the brother
hoods of trainmen and nramra.
have gone to Cleveland to rrr..:
TO headquarters on their confer
ence with President HARDING. IL
which they laid before him com.
plants concerning the alleged dan
gerous condition Of rolling stock
Plans Appeal 20 I. &C.
Although the question of raS.o--
ing seniority to the strikers IS SIN
the main point of Controversy. new
ertheless IL is understood the sho-.
men-aided by "Big -Four" brother
hood Representatives and the Inter-
national Association OF Machinisrs
are planning to force show
down by the railroad executives as
to the actual condition Of loromo-
tives and cars throughout the
country.
Jewell spent Yesterday confer
ing in secret with President John
ston. Of the machln.sts. and his
field agents relative TO the alleged
wholesale violations of Federal To-
connective inspection laws by the
railroad managers. and lad plans
for petitioning the Interstate Com
merce Commission TO investigate
the situation and take steps to stop
further Violations
Representatives of the brother
hoods have also been instructed. Il
is understood. to Join in making
this report.
Hundreds Of detailed reports BY
railroad labor leaders. IL is said
will give the exact number OF loco
/ HiVAiNcc ohl VI each OF lne
1000 terminals over the country.
onciaI Orders Ignored
Scattered reports from Federal
officials are known to have been
received here noting Instances Of
locomotives ordered out OF service
for repairs by government inspec-
tors being used continuously. de-
spite the order. The employees Pc
tition to the Interstate Commerce
] Commission. IL was said. may con-
tain Recommendations for increas-
ing. the number Of Federal loeono-
tive inspectors from fifty TO a num-
ber commensurate with the number
of locomotives In use in normal
times.
The railroad executives contend
that $1,000 locomotives are now IN
bad order. The employees insist this
number In far too small. FIgureI