Evening star., 1939-04-22
By the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, April 22.-An ad-
ministration-appointed mediation
board or an active voice by Presi-
dent Roosevelt himself appeared to-
day as the latest possibility in efforts
to end contract dispute that has
kept $4,000 soft-coal miners idle
since their contract expired
March 80.
The bituminous conferees repre-
senting the eight-State Appalachian
area, meanwhile, called another Sat-
urday meeting-they have been ne
gotiating since early in March
while a 16-member committee seek
Ing new anthracite contract to re-
place one expiring April 80 was in
adjournment until Monday.
Squirting White House action was
= second plea from Mayor La
Guardia calling for action by the
administration. The Mayor said two
Of the city's three subways-Nfe lines
OF the metropolis-would be without
fuel IN 10 days or two weeks.
Reports of rising coal prices. COM
plants from other cities and indus
trial organizations of pending fuel
shortages, and steadily falling
freight revenues on coal-hauling
railroad lines lent emphasis to Mr..
La Guardia's demand.
The three-week shutdown, one
source estimated, has affected the
employment, directly or indirectly,
of 100000 persons.
1z5,00o Ordered Out.
c. I. O. Chairman John L. Lewis
has also ordered 125 900 bituminous
miners In Is States outside the Ap-
palachian region to quit work May S
unless an agreement is reached. He
has threatened further to call out
100000 anthracite miners If neces-
sary to obtain elimination from the
bituminous contract of q penalty
clause providing fines for illegal
strikes.
Charles ONeill, spokesman for the
operators, contended dropping the
penalty clause would enable Mr.,
Lewis to force closed shop for his
powerful United Mine Workers
Union throughout the entire soft
coal industry.
Spokesmen for the miners said
operators in seven States beyond
the Alleghenies, eager to avoid q
shutdown, had capitulated to the
unions demands, but that the Ap-
palachian operators, who produce
70 per cent of the soft coal, would
not yield.
Emerging yesterday after a con-
ference with the subcommittee of
miners and operators that has met
daily since March IA, James F.
Dewey, Federal Labor Department
conciliator, said:
May Have Special Mediator.
I was directed by the Secretary
of Labor to come back to find out
what progress had been made. Ap-
parently none has been made"
In Washington 1t was reported
the administration miGht appoint
either q special mediator or q spe-
cial mediation board of three mem
~SAo w Wy w AAC6OCAovC dkICCs
ment.
Another possibility was that Pres
ident Roosevelt might take an active
role in the dispute.
Bituminous conferees met as usual
today, but q 16-member committee
seeking to negotiate a new contract
for the anthracite industry to re-
place that expiring April 80 ad-
iourned until Monday.
1900 Temporarily Jobless.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April ~ (R.-
approximately 5000 empty coal cars
choked Columbus railroad yards and
some 1900 railroad workers here were
temporarily without jobs as a result
OF the bituminous mine shutdown.
The situation here was described
as pretty bad" by o. w. Wiswell, ex-
ecutive secretary of the Ohio Coal
Conference, Inc. Although a two
weeks domestic s,Inn1v WAS renOrtAfl