Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-02-02
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

strategy for the final attempts
to end the 13-day-old General
Steel strike and one top official
said the program would begin
to unfold "in the next three or
four days"
OPA Administrator Chester Bowles
was scheduled meantime, to con-
fer with President Truman this
afternoon. Mr.. Bowles cut short a
vacation in the South to come here,
and while the reason for his White
House visit was not given, it pre-
sumably will concern steel prices,
the Governments most pressing
problem.
The OPA administrator originally
was scheduled to see the President
at 10 am, but his train did not ar
rive until few minutes before that
hour. The conference then was re-
scheduled for 3 pm. to give Mr..
Bowles time to talk with members
of his staff before his call at the
White House.
officials emphasized that imme-
date action to end the industry
paralyzing steel strike was impera-
tive, and a strong suggestion that
a move was imminent came from
Nathan P. Feinsinger, chairman
of the steel fact-finding board. The
three-man panel gave the President
an oral report of their steel wage
price investigation yesterday after
noon.
Strategy Outlined.
Mr.. Feinsinger, asked whether
the President consulted them in
preparation for a new, settlement
effort, said he gathered that Mr..
Truman has some expectation of
something happening in the near
future"-but did not tell the board
what he had in mind.
The Step-by-step strategy of the
Government looking toward settle
ment was outlined by another high
official as follows:
l. Continued behind the scenes
price-wage talks with the industry
perhaps climaxed by a public invi-
tation to President BENJAMIN F.
Fairless and Chairman Irving S.
Olds of the United States Steel Corp.
to come to Washington for new talks.
2. A definite statement to the in
dustry as to the exact and final
figure in the way of a steel price
increase the Government will allow.
This will be based on OPA's final
report which White House aides in
sist has not arrived there.
8. Notification to steel leaders that
the Government was planning to
spread the full facts behind the dis
pute with the CLIO United Steelwork-
ers, including the industry's finan-
cial position, on the record so that
the public may judge the case.
Few Facts Revealed.
On the latter point, the official
said, the public has not received a
true picture of the steel controversy
from union and company arguments
and that the Government so far
has revealed few of the facts and
figures at its command. The fact
finding board has vast amount of
data, he said, that could be used in
an attempt to force a settlement.
The last step in the Governments
settlement program would be seiz-
ure, although little preparation has
been made for such an eventuality,
and officials are hesitant to take the
step for a variety of reasons.
Mr.. Bowles' visit to the White
House limited strongly that the
question of steel prices once more
had entered strike settlement plans,
although one official said he under
stood the OPA chief was to discuss
extension of the Sterilization Act
with the President. Mr.. Bowles and
OPA were described as holding
steadfastly to their guns that steel
prices should not be raised more
than $3.50 ton, although others,