Evening star., 1934-09-05
President Announces Group
of Three Will Conduct In.
quiry; Unions Ready for
Settlement ParIeys.
SHUTDOWN OF MILLS
SPREADS OVER U. S.
German Contends 100000 Are
Out; Paterson Silk Workers Or
dered to Quit; Sloan Pleads
That Workers Stay on Jobs;
Raps Intimidation.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
President Roosevelt moved today to
appoint a mediation board for the
general strike in the textile industry as
the same time that employers repre-
sentatives announced meeting to
plan a defense against alleged intimi-
dation of workers remaining on their
jobs.
The President acted at the request
of the National Labor Relations Board
and will shortly announce the person.
mel of a board of three members to
inquire into the strike situation.
The President aside from this move,
however, is contemplating no Federal
interference in the general strike.
The Strike Committee, responding
to the press announcement, said that
"it can be taken as matter OF course
that we shall go as far as possible to
meet the wishes of the President"
I'VE believe" the labor statement
said in part, "he has an understanding
of our problems and that he would
not take any step that would jeop-
ardize the welfare Of the million men
and women who toll in the textile
industry
Labor Pushes On.
Francis j. German, chairman of the
Strike Committee, and his associates
meanwhile redoubled their efforts
toward speedy completion of the walk
out, which they hope to have IS per
cent effective by the end of the week.
German said early reports showed
SO per cent Of the silk workers in
Paterson, N. j., joined the strike
ranks this morning and predicted
the tie-up in that city would be
complete by nightfall. The silk dyers
also will be called out, German said,
and an order to the $4,000 workers
in the velvet industry will be issued
before the end of the week.
News of the Presidents action
threw strike headquarters into tur-
moil, but none of the leaders would
disclose the unions attitude toward
possible proposal to call of the
strike pending mediation.
Ready to Confer.
The committee, however, has said
that sincerely wanted to aid in a
settlement.
A few minutes after unofficial word
had been received of the Presidents
intervention German was called at
strike headquarters by the National
Labor Relations Board
Outlining the strike plans before
the Presidents move was known, Cor
man said:
with the cotton textile strike as
sured as a success and with silk due
to be practically solid by tonight, we
are turning attention this afternoon
to woolen and worsted. Silk and
rayon dye workers will be out solid
before the end of the week and up
holstery and drapery will likewise be
tied up"
German said he received a cable
gram today conveying the good wishes
and the sympathy OF the British
Trade Union Congress.
Heads of the silk, woolen and cotton
industrial organizations announced
that they would meet today in an
effort to effect plan of defense
against alleged intimidation forcing
workers who desire to remain at their
jobs to walk out.
At the conference will be George
A. Sloan, president of the Cotton Tex
tile Institute; Arthur G. Besse. presi-
dent of the National Association of
Wool Manufacturers, and Peter Van
Horn, president of the National Fed
Grafton of Textiles.
Reports from both South and East
indicated that the number of strikers
was increasing. Additional shut
downs were reported in many sec
tions.
In New England where about 2OO,-
900 were employed at the time the
strike call was issued, union leaders
placed the number idle today at 10O,-
900 while the manufacturers claimed
a conservative estimate would not ex-
ceed 10000.
Silk Workers Out.
In Paterson union workers JAM
med strike headquarters for picketing
instructions.
Union leaders said they expected
the strike would be 100 per cent ef-
fective" because of the high state Of
union organization in the area.
At Fall River Mass, James Sinclair
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