New-York tribune., 1922-04-01
Senator Calder Offers Res.
olution Demanding an
Inquiry Into the Btu.
minous Coal Situation
Reports of Army
Activities. Denied
Senators Criticize Failure
of Employers to Meet
Workers in Conferences

rom 1he Irtburc'S washington Burcdu
WASHINGTON, March 3t--Fed raj
action in the nation wide coal strike
hinges upon public emergency, it was
said at the White House tonight. Thus
far the President and his Cabinet do
not feel that an emergency exists. The
President has no thought that the dis
pute will lead to armed conflict and re-
ports current here to-day that the War
Department was moblizing aero squad
rcns in preparation for hostilities were
declared at the White House to be
without foundations
Congress, for the present at least
has apparently decided to content it.
self with keeping in hourly touch with
developments. Meanwhile several
movements toward government Inter
vention are getting under way. OF
these the most important is the spe-
cial investigation of conditions in the
industry which has just been started
on the Independent initiative of the
House Labor Committee. This is ex-
pected to develop into a joint inquiry
with the Senate Committee next week
when several of the operators are to be
Noi'So " CtSIlly.
Mine Operators Criticized
The attitude of members of Con
gress generally, privately expressed to-
day, is one of impatence with the mine
operators. Some criticized them in bit
ter language for failing to fulfill their
contract with the miners"
1--WE are going to find out just who
is responsible for the refusal Of the
operators to carry out their contract u
cmphatically declared Chairman Nolan
of the House Labor Committee
Investigation of the bituminous coal
industry by the Federal Trade Com
mission was demanded in the Senate
introduced resolution with that OBJ
ject.
1t was reiterated from the White
House tonight that everything posi-
Bile had been done to bring together
coal operators and miners and avert
the nation wide strike. The situation
was thoroughly canvassed at the Cabi-
net meeting this morning, and this
afternoon the President indicated that
several attempts in the past to bring
the two factions together had proved
futile. 1t was pointed out at the
White House that the Administration
rs early as last OctODer tried to Drlng
the operators and miners together to
agree to new wage scale before April
l. The. President feels that the Ad-
ministraton has done everything that
it considers seemly to avert a suspen-
sion of operations.
Efforts for Farley Blocked
Last October, the White House made
it clear the operators were ready to
confer, but the miners would have
nothing to do with a meeting The
miners claimed at the time that they
could not, confer until after the con
| vention took place and the questions
of working hours and a wage scale
| were agreed upon. After the conven-
tion the Administration again offered
it's good Offices to bring about con.
ference, but the western Pennsylvania
operators declined. They contended
that conference would have been use
less, inasmuch as the miners demanded
five day week and advance schedules
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon or
this occasion used his influence tx
bring about conference, but with ne
success.
Senator Calder's resolution calls fol
sweeping investigation of the in
dustry and report upon it. The res
olution was blocked temporarily b.
| Senator Sutherland of West Virginia
who objected to it's immediate consid
GRAFTON. 1t went over for a day Sena
tor Calder hopes to get it adopted thu
coming week.
Purpose of the resolution is to ge
! Continued en- next pasO