Evening star., 1934-04-09
UNION ROW HALTS
COAL PAY HEARING.
United Mine Workers. Head
Claims SIur by Owners
Counsel.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the ASSOcla1eo PreSS.
A heated dispute between John L.
Lewis. president Of the United Mine
Workers of America, and Forney
Johnston. representative of Alabama
commercial coal operators, caused a
brief recess today in the N. r. A.
hearing on increased wages and short
er hours for miners.
Johnston. after calling the N R. A.
order for the wage and hour changes
a violation of the recovery act, said
union representatives. during confer
ences with the operators leading to a
wage contract, had assured the oper-
ators they had no intention Of initiat-
ing another wage increase.
Lewis, who had been sitting at one
side during Johnston's speech. inter-
rupted with the question of whether
Johnston meant to imply the union
uf1deEstnH0n&. IpEft
from the contract, with the operators.
Johnston denied making such IN
implication.
Lewis persisted.
II made no such statement" john
ston repeated.
You implied It," countered Lewis.
II did not"
Then withdraw It," Lewis said.
Refuses to Withdraw.
II implied nothing and withdraw
nothing" replied Johnston
At this point Blackwell Smith of
the N. R. A. legal division interrupted
the debate and asked the witnesses to
conflne themselves to direct state
ments Of fact.
Lewis then asked the chair to in
struct the witness not to make any
nasty, foul implications. The recess
then was ordered.
The first to testify at the public
hearings on the order. Johnston said
the temporary Injunction obtained in
Alabama last week, restraining N. r.
A. from enforcing the new wage and
hour scale, was in no sense defiant
or hypercritical of the administra-
ton"
THE question is" Johnston said,
whether the mistake we contend has
been made can be remedied in time
to prevent chaos or whether the mill
taristic idea Of imposing these
changes, regardless, will prevail"
Gives Owners . Hearing.
Hugh s. johnson, N. r. A. chief
tain, arranged the public hearing to
give operators q chance to file objec-
tions to the amendment to the soft
coal code which, approved March 81
by johnson, established q seven-hour
day and a higher wage scale through
out the industry.
Just prior to Johnson's action, a
majority Of the operators in the large
Appalachian fields had negotiated q
new wage agreement for one year
with the United Mine Workers Of
America, providing for the seven-hour
day and q IS basic daily wage.
Operators from at least half dozen
States were present when the hear
ing opened today. with Wayne Ellis,
deputy administrator in charge of the
soft coal code, presiding.
The recovery administrator did not
appear.
Johnston accused the Recovery Ad-
ministration Of violating the recovery
act and the soft coal code in i'm
posing new wage and hour scales
without giving the industry q hearing.
The N. r. A. order. Johnston add
ed. had increased Alabama wages
$1.20 q day, had closed mines and
thrown $4,000 miners out OF work in
that State.
Secs Militaristic Idea.
He attacked the "militaristic idea"
behind the order and said one Of
its worst effects was to disturb the
peaceful relation between the op-
orators and the miners "by giving the
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