The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-14
Steel Cos. Refusal
 To Sign Breaks LauU
Ccuntinued from Page D

writing with the c. I. o. as tEc other party to the agreement.
 Governor Turned Down
 Governor Martin L. Davey tried to induce them to sign if the union would give written assurance that it would not seek a closed shop. They still refused. Davey expected to have another conference tomorrow with both sides. The steel executives argued that nothing in the Wag- ner acts collective bargaining pro- visions requires the signing ot con- tract. They contended that the su- preme court decisions supported this stand. UnionistS argued that the de- cisions cited did not apply to such situations as the present.
 Lewis Is Furious
 Lewis, in furious denunciation of Chairman Tom Girdler of Republic, demanded federal action. President Roosevelt returned to Washington from a weekend cruise last night. Union sources declared Davey might seek presidential intervention today. This whole steel situation is very serious" Lewis said. Developments during the last two days indicate that Republic Steel is prepared to arm communities and settle this question by gassing and shooting the steel population. Tom Girdler is a heavily armed monomaniac, with murderous tendencies, who has gone berserk. Girdler should be disarmed and restrained by the government before he turns the steel districts into bloody shambles."
 Lewis asserted that Chairman William c. Potter of the Guaranty Trust Co. of New York ana Presi- dent Eugene Grace of Bethlehem had turned Girdler loose upon the unarmed steel workers"
 Potter said he didn't know what Lewis was talking about. A Republic spokesman said he didn' think Cir dler would even answer the asser. tions.
 Throttle Fuel Supplies
 Washington, June 14.-UP)-John L. Lewis began a flank movement today to throttle the fuel supplies of steel mills operating in defiance of strike called oy his Committee for Industrial Organization.
 As president of the United Mine Workers Union, he sent formal or- ders to president of five U. M. w. districts directing an immediate shutdown of IT captive coal mines owned by Republic Steel corpora tion, Bethlehem Steel corporation and Youngstown Sheet and Tube company.
 The strike, which Lewis said would not violate his unions contract with independent coal operators. was ef- fective today. All Steel company pits in West Virginia and Pennsylvania will be idle by tomorrow morning, he said, throwing $500 men out of work.
 The strike did not affect the In- land Steel O., Lewis said, because Inland does not own captive mines mines operated by steel companies solely for their own use. If union obdUAoLANldllo AAlI UAldO 4AAdLbN HOO dll interest in any mines, Lewis said, they will be closed.
 Halt Iron Ore Supplies
 The next step, C. I. O. officials said might be the halting of ron ore supplies, fed to the steel areas through the Great Lakes waterways. This could be attempted through action of the National Maritime Union, c. I. o. affiliate, they said, and might result in a Great Lakes shipping strike.
 Lewis warned commercial coal operators not to attempt to supply the steel mills with the necessary fuel for coke and steel manufacture. He intimated that if they did union resistance" would result.
 Steel men said they had a large enough coal supply on hand at pres- ent to continue their limited opera tions. However, if the steel valkout continues long, coal shortage may cripple their operations.