Evening star., 1943-06-22
Roosevelt Reported
Asked by WLB to
Enforce Coal Edict
Lewis and Ickes
Meet Again for
Hour and Half
By the Associated Press.


istrator Ickes conferred again.
today on the coal controversy,
which has closed the mines, even
as the War Labor Board was re-
ported to be calling for White
House intervention.
Mr.. Ickes, as Federal boss of the
mines, received the United Mine
Workers leader at the Interior De-
partment.
They met for an hour and half
and refused to say what had oc-
CURED. Mr.. Lewis said nothing at
all and Mr.. Ickes Office issued this
statement:
The Secretary of Interior and
members of his staff today con-
ferred with John L. Lewis, John
OLeary, John Owens and Percy
Tetlow, executive officers of the
United Mine Workers.
There will be no further COM
ment today from the Office Of the
Secretary of the Interior"
The announcement duplicated one
by Mr.. Ickes on their first meeting
yesterday, except that it omitted the
assertion that the conference would
be resumed.
WLB Stands by Decision.
An authoritative source said the
WLB had directed its chairman,
William H. Davis, to take to the
White Houes letter outlining the
boards position and strongly recon-
mend that the President order en-
forcement of its decree that the
, union and operators sign a two
year no-strike contract, minus pro-
visions to meet Mr.. Lewis wage in-
crease demands
Although the WLB decision last
Friday was reached on an S-4 vote,
the board was described as unani-
mously determined that the terms
of its decision should be observed.
Mr., Lewis responded to reporters
questions only with a smile as, &C
companied by the United Mine
Workers officials, he showed up at
Mr.. Ickes' office.
Barring some settlement not vet
apparent, President Roosevelt was
believed to be ready to take action
within 48 hours to get the $4,000
miners back TO work. What this
/ action might be was not indicated.
Steel Industry Slowed Up.
The latest walkout, third in seven
weeks, already has begun to slow
up the War-vital steel industry; coke
production was cut in Alabama and
Pennsylvania, some blast furnaces
were being shut down and officials
pictured the industry as close to the
bottom of the bin in coal supplies.
Railroads also reported supplies
were dangerously low.
The Shenango Furnace Co. oper-
ating two blast furnaces and
foundry at Sharpsville, Pa. an
nounced one furnace was "foreed
down because of no coal, no coke, no
fuel
The giant Carnegie Illinois STEEL
Corp. also began closing furnaces
which make pig iron, but did not
Immediately disclose how many OF
the g it operates in the Pittsburgh
area were affected.
Situation Summarized.
! Here was the situation in the coal
fields:
Pennsylvania - 1l7.000 soft coal
miners and $4,000 anthracite work
erS were idle in a complete shut
down.
West Virginia-All the 10000 BIZ
luminous miners on strike.
/ Kentucky-47,0 900 miners out, clos
ing 200 mines. Still working were
about 4,500 members of the Pro-
greSSiVe Miners. AFL and $500 nom
union coal diggers.
1llinoiS-32 500 of the States 4O.O 900
miners idle in 270 of the 335 work.
ings. including all 5000 UNIV men,
befs in 200 mines. Half of the State
$4,000 Progressive Miners also walked
out in sympathy strike.
$4,000 Idle in Alabama.
Alabama-All $4,000 idle, Republic
Steel at Birmingham announced
forced so per cent reduction in coke
production.
Midwest Indiana's 5000 and
Ohios $1,000 out.
South-Joining walkout were all
of Arkansas 1000, Virginias S 23,50O.
Tennessee's 10000, and Marvland's
1000 in the upper Potomac region.
West-Oklahoma's 66 mines, en-
ploying 1900, idle; also idle were
$500 in Colorado, $500 in Utah.
2,400 in Washington, 4.1Oo in Wyo-
ming, 1900 in New Mexico, 300 in
Montana, 1000 in Iowa.
Mr.. Lewis and the UNIV Policy
Committee refused to interfere with
the Walkout which followed a two
week truce between the miners and
the operators.
Unquotable sources said the WLB
served notice on Mr.. Ickes that any
understanding he reaches with Mr..
Lewis must conform to the boards
directive.
Lewis Condemns Proposals.
Besides the old contract terms.
the board granted the miners an in-
crease in vacation pay and allow
ances for equipment which would
raise their daily pay about 25 cents.
Underground travel pay, the board
insisted. contained a hidden" in.
crease that would not be allowa b]e
under the hold-the- line Government
policy and was a matter for the
courts to decide. Mr.. Davis said
the miners, on six-day week,
could average $496O.
Mr.. Lewis said it was a yellow
dog" contract and would have
nothing to do with it.
Before the Lewis-Ickes conference
a spokesman for Mr.. Ickes said con-
sideration" had been given to set
ting up an operating system to run
the mines indefinitely, possibly for
the duration of the war, but no &C
ton had been taken. He recalled
that Mr.. Ickes had remarked as
much at a press conference long ago.
asserting at the time that he liked
to be prepared for anything that
might arise. The study, the spokes-
man acknowledged has continued
in the last few days