Evening star., 1941-11-12
Threat of Strike Pits
Miners Against U. S.,
Roosevelt Aide Soys
Denies Controversy
Is Quarrel Between
President, Lewis
Coal mediation dispute tertS on
Pace As

Threatened interruption Of op-
eratlons Of the captive coal mines
of the Nation constitutes a quar-
rel between the United Mine Work
ers and the United States Govern
ment, White House spokesman de-
Clared today.
Expressing his opinion that some
newspapers had reflected immature
Judgment in describing the coal
crisis as a personal quarrel between
President Roosevelt and John L.
Lewis. president Of the Mine Work
ers. Acting White House Secretary
William d. Hassett pictured the sit
uation as broader and more mo-
mentous
His implication in describing il as
a quarrel between the union and the
Government presumably was that
the threatened strike would be an
action directed against the national
program OF defense production.
Won't Tolerate Interruption.
In this connection with the further
implication that the Government
will not tolerate such interruption.
Mr.. Hassett said It would be far
assumption that the Government
position IS going 10 be maintained
and its interests protected
With the President confined to his
study with slight head cold. Mr..
Hassett said he was sure that the
crisis IN the coal and steel industry
is very much on his mind
Asked about possibility Of the ad-
mlnIstratlOn sponsoring strike con-
troll legislation. the secretary said
he had no immediate information.
He pointed out that the deadllne
as pronounced By Mr.. Lewis for
further decision on a strike in the
mines falls on SATURDAY. giving the
Government that much time for
possible new action or intervention,
Refuses Prediction.
Mr. Hassett emphasized that the
whole situation is too important and
momentous to permit prediction on
what might yet be done
The secretary said he presumed
there would be presidential
Acknowledgement Of the letters Of
resignation from the National De-
fense Mediation Board of Philip
Murray, c. I o. president. and
/ Thomas Kennedy. secretary treas
urer of the l. NJ. W. There has been
no talk as yet OF replacing the two
on the board, Mr.. Hassett added.
Meanwhile, Mediation Board ma
chinery was stalled BY failure of C.
I. o. board members to appear in
cases scheduled for consideration
today. Board panels were not con-
vened in threatened strikes at In
ternatlonal Harvester Co. plants
and the Bell Aircraft factory at
Buffalo. n. Y, because Of the ab-
senCe of c. I. o. board members
James B. Carey. c. !. O. secre-
tary, was missing from the Inter
national Harvester panel and John
Brophy, director Of the C. I. O..
Industrial Union Council. failed TO
appear for the Bell hearing.
Mediation Board officials said the
hearings could continue legally
without c. I o. representation but
informed sources said this was un-
likely.
Board to Mark Time.
For the time Board Chairman
William H Davis said the hearings
would be postponed He added that
the board would be marking time
pending consideration of c. 7. o.
relations with the board by the
c. I. O. International Executive
Council at Detroit Sunday.
Representatives of c. I. o unions
involved in the two cases presented
themselves despite the absence of
the board members from the parent
organization About $4,000 workers
are affected by the Harvester dis
pute and about 10000 in the aircraft
case
Another result of the Murray
Kennedy designations was announce
ment by the Gas Coke and Chem
ical division of the C. l. o. United
Mine Workers. also known as
U. NJ w. District so. that it had
, withdrawn all cases involving ths
union from the boards jurisdiction
and would no longer use the boards
| services.
President o. f. Gasawey OF dis
trict so wrote Chairman Davis that
the union could not submit its dis
putes to mediation agency upon
which there is no adequate repre-
sentation of labor" The three dis
trict so cases before the board in
(See COAL, Page A-6.)