The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-05-27
Refuse to Enter Pits; Railroads Near Normal
Lewis ests Edicf
 Showdown Fight
 With Trumon. Seen

Washington. May N-(UP)-In a grim mood, John L. Lewis continued negotiations with the Government today while most of his soft coal miners defied President Trun1an's decree on strikes against the Cow ernment and refused to work in the Federally controlled mines.
 Lewis conferred anew with Coal Administrator J. A. Krug as the Government strove to solve the new industrial crisis resulting from re- sumption of the coal strike.
 There was no evidence that Lewis and Krug were any nearer agreement than they were last week on an interim union Government contract.
 Senate Ready To Act
 Lewis, chief of the United Mine Workers (AF.L.), was grinly silent when he walked into Krug's offices.
 As they renewed negotiation talks, the Senate prepared to take up President Trumans request for leg islation to outlaw strikes against the Government. - The House already has approved the request, which provides for iui- prisonment and stiff fines against union leaders and company offi- cials inspiring work stoppages in Government-seized properties. It also would grant the President aii- thority to draft workers in such industries who fail to return eO work. Despite thisA legislative threat ihanging over their heads, most Of the miners refused to work with out contract, even for the Gov-. ernment.
 Few Miners Report Only a fe whundred of the 100,- GOO Pennsylvania bituminous miners went back to work. And reports from other mining regions showed that only few scattered mines were reopening.
 The new shutdown threatened the nation with another industrial crisis before it was fully recovered from last weeks railroad strike. Coal production during a two-week work truce provided no permanent relief to an industrial machine crippled by the recent six-week coal strike, which the White House then called @ national disaster"
 Railroads probably will be among the first affected by the new stop page in coal production. Their fuel supplies already were depleted by. the earlier coal strike. Director J. Monroe Johnson of the Office of Defense Transportation warned that ne will have to renew the embargo on railroad freight shipments and further reduce passenger traffic unless the coal situation improves rapidly"
 Lewis Unchanged
 The 100000 miners struck again at the end of the two-week truce and Lewis made no move to stop them despite the drastic Govern ment action taken against engineers and trainmen for their walkout on Government-operated railroads. Lewis appeared to be squaring away for 8 showdown fight with the Ad- ministration
 In perhaps its first move to ac- cept the challenge. the Government sent a 150-man Army detachment to Madisonville, Ky, to protect em- ployes of 8 small Hopkins County mine.
 Goal administrator J. A. Krug. who conferred with Lewis and Pres ident Truman at the White House last night, arranged for another session with Lewis today, presum- ably on terms for a Government contract.
 But the pattern MT. Truman set in handling the rail. strike indi.f cated that the mine shutdown would bring negotiations to halt. The President told Congress Sat- urday that when the railroad work CTS struck against the Govern ment" the time for negotiations stopped and the time for action ar- rived.
 Anti-Labor Law Expected
 By spurning Government requests that he ordered the miners to stay on their jobs. Lewis not only in- vited forceful action from the White House, but strengthened prospects for. passage of the drastic anti-strike legislation asked by MT, Truman.
 That legislation would permit the Government to jail Lewis and UNIV. leaders for failure to take affirmative action" to keep the miners at work. Miners who struck Government operated properky would forfeit seniority rights, and the President could order them iu- ducted into the armed forces.
 The provision requiring "affir1na- tive action" by union leaders ap- peared to be aimed at Lewis. Miners strikes have followed contract term nations automatically under the unions mo contract. no work pol.