Evening star., 1943-06-02

miners union to ,
continue opera David Lawrence.
tions. The story is that Fuel Ad-
ministrator Ickes wanted to do
something about it, but was told
by higher authority not to inter-
fere. Meanwhile, the War Labor
Board took the position that it
didn't make truces or recognize
headlines. This was an assumption
that if the Monday midnight dead
line we're not recognized, it wouldn't
materialize. But it did.
Concurrently, experienced media
tors and conciliators with long
record of familiarity with labor
problems urged that some Govern
ment move be made to prevent the
miners from closing down the
mines. But no move was made,
the leaders of the miners union
permitted the walkout to develop,
and $4,000 miners became idle as
a result
Such an interruption in produc-
ton of fuel in wartime is mex
cusable and indefensible. Indig-
nation from one end of the country
to the other is mounting, judging by
reports and comments received here
There is reason to believe that
members of the armed services are
bitterly resentful of the situation
that allows war production to be
interrupted in so vital a commodity
as coal.
Ickes Presents Formula.
Mr. Ickes, after one day OF the
strike, has come forward with a
formula for temporary settlement.
He should have had authority to do
this long ago. If 1t is true that
the Government is running the
mines. then the executive who rep
resents the Government should
have had power to deal with the
labor controversy The report is
that the War Labor Board mem
bers threatened to resign If this
came about-they wanted to retain
jurisdiction.
But the War Labor Board has no
statutory position and. until it gets
law behind it. the orders and direc-
ttves Of the board will continue to
be ignored by leaders like Mr.. Lewis.
who know the board is not based on
s,w. The administrations move for
some time has clearly been to get
some action in Congress empower
Ing WLB to command unions and
employers to obey its directives. The
Senate has passed such a bill. in
troduced by Senator Connally. Dem
ocrat. Of Texas The measure also
prohibits strikes when the Govern
ment has seized private properties.
Unions Oppose Provisions.
This bill has been before the
House during almost the entire time
of the second truce" in the coal
controversy. The House Military
Affairs Committee tackled on some
restrictive amendments which labor
unions have bitterly opposed. 1t
has been believed that the admins
tration wanted some sort Of legisla-
ton passed.. but the Secretary of
Labor, Miss Perkins, went to the
Capitol to help defeat the measure.
Miss Perkins admits having per-
suaded the Secretary of the Navy,
the chairman of the Maritime Com
mission and the head Of the War
Production Board to come out
against such legislation in letter to
the chairman of the Military Affairs
Committee.
But the administration has lust
about made up its mind at last to
give Congress the go-ahead signal
on the Connally bill. This puts the
signers Of the joint letter in
rather awkward position. But events
have been moving so fast in the last
"a hours and the administrations
confidence that there wouldn't be
any interruption OF production has
been shaken so severely that it will
take little time for all the members
OF the administration to pull them
selves together and find out Just
what the policy must be.
Personal Method Fails.
The real difficulty is that the
President has been able to handle
the labor problem heretofore on a
personal basis. He calls in leaders
impresses them with the need for
cooperation. promises them this or
that advantage and usually man
ages to hold them in line. The
number Of strikes has been kept
down by these tactics. But since
Mr.. Lewis. who has been opposed to
the administrators policies and is
not party to the personal confer
ences, takes the initiative and ag-
gressively challenges the War Labor
Boards Jurisdiction, there is no