Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-11-19
Affidaviis Of Eight
U. 5. Officials Back
Order Against Lewis
By'the As.eeioi.d Press.

Blythe Asseeiossd Press.
Dire forecasts of the effect of .
soft coal strike on every phase o.
the Nations life were made by eight
Government officials yesterday II
afidavits supporting the Govern.
ment's restraining order agains1
John L. Lewis.
This is what they swore:
Secretary of the Interior Krug-.
"The general welfare and the ma.
tional economy would be vitality anc
irreparably damaged" by soft Goa
strike. There we're 100000 ton.
on hand Saturday. Within so day.
a coal strike would close "64 pei
cent of electrical power utilities, 81
per cent of steel and rolling mills
30 per cent Of by-product coke
plants, SO per cent of class / rail.
roads, 80 per cent of cement mill,
and 10 per cent of other industrials.
Secretary of the Navy Forrestal-
Any reduction of rail and other
transportation will hit the Navy
directly. And "any curtailment OF
the Nations industry and trans
portation facilities" will hamper the
Navy 'in the performance of its
functions"
Consumption Higher.
Secretary of War Patterson-In-
reference with the railroads would
curtail shipments of food and other
supplies to occupied countries.
Moreover, a coal strike would di-
rectly reduce the amount of coal
available for export, hampering re-
Mobilization activities in Europe and
adding to their cost.
John D., Small, civilian produc-
ton administrator-"Not only are
actual coal stocks lower than they
were before the coal strike last
spring, but consumption is running
higher both because of the seasonal
requirements and the higher rate
of industrial activity" If a coal
strike now were to last as long as
the one last spring 1t would ulti-
mately bring American industry to
virtual standstill. Such a stop
Po6S WOA4o 11OJ O1lly tlCdUC tllCSo
unemployment in all industrial cen
tiers but would create serious haz-
ards to public health and safety"
G. H. Helmbold, managing di-
rector of ship operations for the
Maritime Commissioner coal ex-
ports are cut many" operators who
have chartered Government vessels
will have to return them to the
Government, with loss Of Federal
revenue, and other ships will not
be chartered. An estimated 1000
persons in the shipping industry
will be unemployed "for the dura-
ton Of any suspension of coal min
ing" If 400 vessels now carrying
coal are tied up the loss to the Gov
eminent would aggregate Sill ,250, 900
b month. Also, "the shipping in
dustry is, Of course, generally de-
pendent upon rail transportation
for receipt of its general cargoes and
for ship supplies" Although the
spring coal strike ended in May, ut
was not until July that normally
was again reached" in the shipping
industry.
Would Cripple Utilities.
Leland Olds, chairman of the Fed
eral Power Commission: A coal
strike would undoubtedly bring
about an emergency in the United
States calling for restrictive meas
ureS to protect the supply Of electric
energy used in homes, commercial
enterprises and industry" Elec-
trio utility systems now have coal
for go days, on the average, q supply
well below" normal. They would be
hit considerably worse" than they
were last spring. "The presently
threatened interruption soon would
disrupt practically all electric sys-
TENS east Of the Mississippi River.
It would certainly bring all indus
tries dependent on those systems to
q standstiI."
James A. Crabtree, acting surgeon
general Of the Public Health Service:
If coal strike prevents homes,
hospitals, water and sewage systems
and other health facilities from OBJ
tanning heat and power, "the public
health of the United States would
be seriously jeopardized."
j. Monroe johnson, director of the
Office of Defense Transportation:
About 80 per cent of the Nations
railroads depend on bituminous coal
for locomotives, and they use rs per
cent Of the bituminous output. Their
stockpiles average a 30-day supply
and 10 roads have less than q To-day
supply. "At the present time, rail-
roads are in their seasonal peak
loadings." An interruption of coal
mining would add IAN intolerable
burden" to the railroads when OPP
erations were resumed. Passenger
service has been ordered curtailed
Sunday and consideration Is now be-
ing given" to restrictions on freight.