The Daily Alaska empire., 1946-02-16
Thousands Of Men 10 Return
 To Their Jols
Big Industry to Resume 0perations-Pdves Way
 for Other Settlements
esy THE ASSOCIATED raEss,

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 The country's reconsersio1i pro gram appeared headed for fast, smooth progress today as a long awaited break came in the nation wide steel strike.
 U, s. Steel Corporation. < Big Steel. settled its wage dispute with the CIC United Steelworkers last night. On Monday the corpora tion's l3o,ooo employees are to go back to their jobs--at an is i-2 cent hourly wages increase-after four weeks of idleness.
 The settlement also paved the way for ending the wage dispute tween the Union and other steel companies and the return to work of the remaining 62S,ooo striking steelworkers. e
 Collective bargaining with the rest of the industry was to start today and C1C President, Philip Murray said he hoped for speedy end of the wage dispute with the other firms. Another CIO official predicted that agreements would be reached with, all the key steel companies within a week. Industry spokesmen said 1t will be from one to five weeks before opersticns In the steel industry win become nor nal
 Steel Price 8oost
 In washington. Reconverslon pi- rector John ". Snyder. arihoiinced the Big Steel" settlement on the basis of an IS Ia cent average hourly wage boost previously recosn- merded by President Truman. with U. S. Steel getting compensatory $ a ton increase In steel prices.
 Immediately. administration lead CTS expressed hope that the, end of the 26-day old walkout would have an important influence on the strikes in General Motors plants and the electrical industry. the nations other two major work stoppases.
 In Detroit, leaders Of CIO United Auto Workers hailed the agreement as factor which would hasten settlement of their wage dispute with General Motors, ending . strike which started November 2i. No i'm mediate comment was made by in the strike of t75 900 CIo electrical workers at Wcsting- house and General Electric.
 &32 Mpre 4 Month ef
 The U. S. Steel agreement was for one year, and President Ben- jamin F. Fairless said the wage hike will amount to approximately $32 per employee for each full month of work. He described the pay raise as the largest in the in- dustry's history.
 The Steel corporations permit to charge s5 more a ton for it's product has led the new Economic stabilization Administrator. Ches- ter Bowles, to warn that prices of metal goods may need to be boost ed little. all along the line. but Bowles adds that prices increases will be used as sparingly as pos sible. Metal goods are said to ac- court for about nine percent of the total living costs for most Amer jeans. |
 The encouraging news rin the steel industry brought happiness to the town of Hihbing. Mipneso- ta, known as the nations iron orc capital. Merchants Ntow1ispeople and miners are sharing in the iu- bilation. .ssse ses. tf ]. At Homestead. Pennsylvania tho pickets. have joyfully burned their strike banners before the main gate of the Carnegie Illinois Corpora ton. At the big Jones and Laugh lin Steel Corporation plant at Pittsburgh-which was first to go on strike. pickets maintained their vigil in the cold until last night. Then they called 1t day.