The Washington times., 1933-09-15
UNIONS To ADD
$4,000 MEN
To RANKS
Roosevelt Demands Deadlock
Break; Forces RecaIcitrants
To Speed or He Will Act
By International News Service


President Roosevelt today post
poned a scheduled weekend trip
on the Potomac on the expecta-
ton of receiving a bituminous
coal code tonight.
Working under a virtual ulti-
matum from the White House to
agree today or receive an i'm
posed code of fair competition.
operators, union labor heads, and
:NRA officials we're desperately
trying to bring long negotiations
to close.
Concerned With Strike
The President was not only
represented as being determined
to bring the industry under the
NRA, but he was closely watching
the Pennsylvania strike situation
where bloodshed already has re-
suited.
Reports received from Depart
ment of Justice and Labor De-
partment agents, who were speed
ed to the Uniontown area to IN
vestigate alleged Shoot1ngS oy
mine guards, were placed before
the President.
Meantime, Hugh s. johnson,
recovery administrator, expressed
confidence that both a coal code
and a contract between Appala-
chian operators and United Mime
Workers of America, bringing
ATS, 900 more coal miners into the
union, would be completed today.
Ickes May Be Boss
He disclosed that only two
points of difference remained to
be settled in the coal code with
a few other points at issue in
the separate wage contract nego-
tiations. He said:
81 hate to predict but 1 think
we'll get code"
The code proposed last week by
the NRA had been sharply re-
vised, it was understood.
AS a part of a new set-up. 1t
was reported that Secretary OF
Interior Ickes was being consid-
cred as a coal "czar," on the same
basis that he was placed in
charge of the oil code.
Relation between the price of
fuel oil and bituminous coal has
figured prominently in the code
negotiations.
Two Are Related
Operators have insisted the
competition of oil and natural
gas must be related to the coal
situation.
While the code was still sub
feet to change, it was understood
that revision of provisions giving
the Government wide control over
labor and prices was made to
meet some objections Of oper-
ators.
Greater autonomy for the vari-
Gus coal producing areas was ex-
pected to be in the final agree
ment, creation of a Government
agency in the Interior Depart
ment, similar to that provided for
the oil industry. was understood
to be considered.
Meet at White House
The President received Is oper-
0tors and union labor leaders in
the oval room of the White
House, where he has his study
After conference lasting an
hour and a half, the President
said
81 have definitely outlined
tonight the urgent reasons for
immediate agreement on a coal
code. without exception the
operators present, representing
the major coal producing areas,
and the representative of the
United Mine Workers of Am
erica have given to me their
assurance that the code in its
present form is for the larger
part acceptable and that in all
human probability this code
can be negotiated to a cOnclu-
sion within the next "a hours,
IN other words. by Friday night.
WAGE AGREEMENT
Furthermore. the wage
agreements between the Oper-
atOrs and the United Mine
Workers of America are so
close to being concluded that
the same 24-hOur period should
bring them also to a successful
conclusion. In view of these
assurances am waiting the
signatures to the code and the
agreements"