The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-11
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MINERS
FROM PAGE ONE

agreed to the principle OF a miners
health and welfare fund.
One jump ahead of expected &C
ton by an alarmed Congress, Lewis
directed the United Mine Workers
to dig coal until May Is If the
operators would agree to make any
Ipay increase retroactive. The
Operators spokesman here with
held any such commitment for
the time being, obviously looking
for some guarantee of price in
creases to meet added costs.
Asks Contract at Once
Summoned to the White House
for a 4 p. m. conference, Lewis
and Charles O'Neill, operators
spokesman, told reporters after
war dthat the President had called
ward that the President had called
four or five days.
Then Charles c.. Ross, presi-
dental secretary, informed the
newsmen that Lewis and O'Neill
had agreed, in the presence of the
chief executive, to the principle OF
a welfare fund. They agreed also,
Ross added, las to the necessity
for safety provisions in mining"
Lewis has stressed his demand
for a health and welfare fund. OPP
orators have said he wants a union
controlled fund financed by a
royalty on each ton of coal.
Fridays reported agreement on
it was only in principle. Ross said
Lewis and O'Neil differed as tc
how the money should be raised
and how it should be administered,
Ross pictured the White House
conference as one in which bott
sides laid their differences on the
table, after which the Presidenr
told them to get together and come
back to him with a contract mex
Wednesday.
Truman Gets Tough
Ross quoted the Chief Executive
as saying there wasn't any sense
in the whole economic system Of
the country being tied up by those
differences"
O'Neill said:
1--WE discussed-the President
rather, discussed with us-the ex-
IRENE necessity of making a con
tract and getting coal moving ano
production restored. He wanted
US to have that done in four or five
days.
The determinations that have
marked the long, stalemated nego
tiations cropped out again as Lewis
and O'Neill talked with reporters
Asked whether it would be pos
sible to arrive at a contract in four
or five days, Lewis said:
THAT depends entirely on Mr.
O'Neil and his associates" "And
on Mr.. Lewis and his" O'Neil
shot in.
Lewis observed that it was
worthy of attention that with 1.-THE
country suffering from a lack Of
coal, Mr.. O'Neill hesitates to ad'
wise whether he'll work his mines
No Compromise Plan
Lewis said no compromise plar
to end the strike had been pro,
posed by any government official.
Earlier there had been reports that
Mr.. Truman would propose a peace
plan involving an IS 10 cent hour
ly pay increase and the establish
ment of a commission-controlled
health and welfare fund.
When the newsmen finished ques-
tioning them, Lewis and O'Neill
walked out of the White House
lobby, went across the street to La
Fayette Park, sat down on a bench
and entered an earnest conversa-
ton for 20 minutes. 1t is on a
bench in this same park that Ber-
nard Baruch, elder statesman,
often grapples with great prob
lens.
The freight embargo, brownouts
and other measures to conserve
coal remain in effect for the time
being at least, despite the truce
offer.
Tentative State
J.. Monroe Johnson, director of
the office of Defense Transporta-
ton, said no decision had been
reached on cancelling the freight
embargo and cuts in passenger ser
vice.
Everything is in a tentative
state" he said, adding that he
hoped to make some nor def
mite announcement. Saturday.
John D. Small, chief of the
Civilian Production administration,
said the government cannot afford
to revoke orders for brownouts
and Illuminating gas rationing I'M
til this picture is a lot clearer"
Consumers and industry alike
will have to continue all coal con-
servation measures" he said.
He said the mines could not get
back to full production for at least
a week and that another IA days
would be needed or full distribu-
ton. Even then, he said, utility
stock piles would have to be built
up before coal could be delivered
to other industrial usre.s
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