The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-19


 the recommendations too high bu have accepted them.
 The president conferred with thu same group of government, labol and railroad industry leaders yester' day, but Policy, Harrison and John ston agreed that no conclusions were reached.
 Johnston said the strike remained definitely on the calendar" but in' formed quarters here believed @ new compromise would be offered before the strike deadline,
 Although MT. Roosevelt was hold. ing back on further direct interven- ton in the coal strike, associates said he still was prepared to "crack down hard" if Q basis for Q settle ment does not develop after Q Short interval.
 Whatever legislative action iI taken by Congress probably would not be directed at forcing the o3,00t coal miners in the pits supplying the major steel mills back to work authoritative labor officials said.
 Army Might Do Harm
 MT. Roosevelt, they said, has beer strongly advised" against using the army In an effort to break the strike They fear the use ot soldiers might precipitate a nationwide strike irI the commercial mines, where scat. tered walkouts already have occurred in sympathy with the captive mine strike.
 That fear also was expressed by Senator Harley M. Kilgore, D. w Va, who said:
 T am afraid that sending troopi into the mine areas might arouse In .rse resentment that would cause tn strikes to spread and be pro- lol.sed. These miners in West Vir- ginia are largely of native American stock, highly independent and al- ways have resented any outside in. terference. Like all Americans, they hate to have anybody tell them they have to do something"
 There was no indication of what development MT. Roosevelt might expect to end the strike that al- ready is threatening to curtail steel producion. He has no conferences scheduled In advance on the coal situation, but has arranged another meeting at the White House for today in his efforts to avert a na- tional railroad strike set for Dec. 2.
 Lewis Statement
 John L. Lewis, United Mine Work CTS president, was said to believe that some steel companies might yet negotiate separately on the unions demand for a union shop. But steel executives have vigorous ly contradicted the suggestion that they were divided in their oppoSi- tion to the union shop.
 MT. Roosevelt indicated at his press conference late yesterday that he expects pressure of public opin- fen, and perhaps that of many of the miners, to break Lewis re- siStance to a contract for the cap- tive mines acceptable to the steel companies.
 He challenged the validity of Lewis argument that the granting of an open shop contract to the captive mine owners would force the UMWA to give the same con- sessions to commercial operators, who now have union shop contracts with the UNIV.
 'The Appalachian agreement in all commercial mines stands as it has ever since 1t went into opera tion, and no question involved in the captive mine strike would af- feet the pay or the hours of the collective bargaining recognition of the United Mine Workers in any of the Appalachian agreement { mines," MT. Roosevelt said.
 Therefore, I do not think that point "A in Mir. Lewis letter was } valid point"
 Lewis raised two points ia -e- porting to Mfr. Roosevelt the break town of negotiations. Point aB," aot mentioned by the President, was that the mine representatives, iad no authority to sign away the rights which the unionists have lnder the Appalachian agreement.