Evening star., 1946-11-01
Lewis and Kruq
Both Absent as
Coal TaIks0pen
UNIV Chief Moy Stay
Away Until Secretary
Returns From West
By jones Y. Newton

John l.. Lewis failed to appear
today at the first session of the
coal contract conferences be-
tween the Government and the
United Mine Workers at the In
terror Department.
1t was indicated that the UNIV
chief, who has demanded that the
Government reopen its contract
with the miners so that he may
apply for higher wages, would with
hold his appearance at the discus
sions until Secretary of Interior
Krug returns from his Western in
spection trip sometime next week.
The mine workers delegation was
led in Mr.. Lewis absence by John
O'Leary, the union vice president.
The Government was represented
by Navy Capt. N. H. Collision, coal
mines administrator. 1t was indi-
Gated that the first meetings of the
conference would be of a highly pre-
liminary nature.
The opening session lasted about
an hour and a half, and another
meeting was set for 2:30 pm.
Operators Attack u. S. Action.
Government hopes of averting
Mr.. Lewis threat to void the con-
tract and probably bring on strike
rested on the ability of Capt. Col
lisson to work out some wage deal
satisfactory to Mr.. Lewis
Meanwhile. the Negotiating Com
mittee for the private soft coal
mine operators sharply criticized the
Governments conduct of the latest
crisis with Mr.. Lewis.
A statement released by the op-
orators read:
The Operators Negotiating Com
mittee have been and are much
interested spectators at the strange
proceedings now being unfolded at
Washington-the spectacle of a few
powerful politicians and another
Government official, whose intimate
relationship with the president of
the United Mine Workers (Mr. Lew
isl has been well known in coal
circles for years, making decisions
involving highly important matters
without consulting the owners of the
mines"
Reference to Steelman Presumed.
The reference to the Government
Official who is a friend of Mr.. Lewis
presumably was to Reconversion
Director John r. Steelmari. Mr..
Steelman, along with Secretary Krug,
has been designated by President
Truman to handle the coal crisis.
The Nations soft coal mines have
been in Government possession since
last May Secretary Krug and Mr..
Lewis on May 20 finally signed the
present contract which the private
operators have refused to take over.
Mr.. Krug and Mr.. Lewis have en-
gagged in rather violent dispute as
to whether that Government agree
ment can be reopened to allow the
miners to get higher pay.
These politically minded men,"
the operators statement continued,
have now reopened the wage agree
ment which the man who made the
agreement for the Government
(Secretary Krug) said could not be
reopened under the circumstances
in terms of the agreement itself.
Most newspaper reports indicate
that Secretary Krug did not know
what was going on in Washington
and indeed also lead us to believe
that the Secretary of Labor did not
have a place in this decision"
Call Surrender a Disgrace.
The operators charged that the
decision to reopen the contract over
the objections of Mr. Krug, which
they indicated was made by Mr..
Steelman, left mfr. Lewis and his
union free to work or not to work;
to make demands for more and more
concessions with an implication of a
stoppage of coal supply on the
threshold of winter if his demands
are refused; and to humiliate the
Government with impunity."
ANY such abject surrender by
Government would be a public dis
ICno N0AT no~o A f0I