The Washington times., 1922-06-27
CRISIS n FEAR DRIVE.
COAL, TOPIC ON INJURED.
.0F CABINET At HERR|N
Paralysis Of Industry in Few
Weeks Is Fear of Admin
istration Leaders.
BY international News Service.

BY International News Service.
Within five weeks the nations
great basic industries will begin
to feel the pinch Of a coal short
age. J,. II.
!, The country, as REPRESENTED in
communication from commercial
organizations and individuals in
many States, is beginning to de.
nand action from the Federal
Government that will end the
three months strike.
Confronted with this situation
and these facts, President Hard
ing took up with his Cabinet to-
day consideration of measures
that will end the present "intol-
cradle situation" as one Cabinet
officer described it.
President, Loaded With Facts.
The President met with his Cab.
met fresh from his conferences
with John l.. Lewis, president OF
the United Mine Workers, and the
ADMINISTRATOR two first lieuten.
ants in seeking settlement Of the
controversy Secretary of Com.
mercet Herbert Hoover and Secre-
tary of Labor Davis.
What measures the Administra-
ton Is prepared to advance. and
what methods the Federal Govern
ment has under consideration for
the future control of the industry
were not disclosed. but apparently
the only course open to the Gov
ernment Is the summoning of the
operators and miners into a joint
national conference to fix a ma
tional wage scale, as demanded by
the miners when they first dropped
their tools some thirteen weeks
ago.
No other course Is acceptable to
the miners themselves. This was
made clear to the President In his
long conference yesterday with John
l.. Lewis, and reiterated by the min.
ers' head today.
Lewis declared today that the min
ers were not seeking Government in.
tervention to end the strike, but they
were prepared to fight to the bitter
end" for a satisfactory adjustment
of their wage dispute. He said the
union officials did not anticipate call.
ing out the engineers and pumpmen
in the hard coal fields. although
these men had voted almost unani.
mously to strike.
Samuel Pursglove, a Cleveland coal
operator, told Lewis today that the
Northwestern States were running
rapidly into a coal shortage because
coal which, was usually shipped
through Duluth was now being iii.
verted to Chicago.
The immediate problem confront.
ing the Government, as we'll as the
operators and the miners themsclv es
Is the termination of a situation that
is rapidly bringing the nation to the
verge of Industrial paralysis. That
the situation is now acute and that
the emergency" Is here was no
longer denied today by even the most
hopeful spokesman for all sides to
the controversy.
Output Entirely Inadequate.
The railroads have less than TO-.
0OO, 900 tons of coal left out of their
gigantic reserve stocks with which
they faced the strike. Public utilities
and private Industrial concerns are
even harder hit. And their present
small reserves are being eaten into
at q rate which within four TO five
weeks will deplete them entirely
The coal output Of 100000 tors
weekly from nonunion mines is en-,
tirely Inadequate to meet the situa
tion.
In the face Of White House si
lence as to what course the Gov
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column 2)