The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-11
Lewis C%apitulates

In
John L. Lewis order sending soft
coal miners back to the pits on Monday
for a two-week period obviously stems,
not from any consideration of the de-
plorable condition he created when he
called the strike, but from the pressure
of an aroused public opinion and the
determination of an angry Congress to
deal with legislation against strikes.
It is too much to think he has had
a change of heart. He merely sees that
for all his power and despite the ad-
ministration's weakness, the American
people have come to the end of their
patience and further dictation from
him inevitably would lead to his down.
fall.
His decision to send the miners back
to work, at least temporarily, came as
the nation was being plunged into a
crisis which threatened a breakdown
in industry, transportation and COM
merce. 1t came after railroads had been
forced to cut their schedules because of
the coal shortage and hundreds of bust
ness firms and manufacturing plants
had closed down from lack of electric
power from coal-driven generators.
1t came amidst these Developments:
Washington - A House judiciary
subcommittee agreed to approve a bill
intended to outlaw the tonnage royalty
demands of the United Mine Workers
Union, a major point of dispute in the
coal strike.
Columbus, o. The mayor called
for wartime brownout regulations. Five
thousand workers were laid off at the
Spice Manufacturing Company, Toledo,
Ohio, because of the rail embargo.
Cleveland - Industrial leaders said
10000 workers would be made idle by
tomorrow. Republic Steel expected to
lay off 5000 workers within a week.
Pittsburgh - U. S. Steel prepared
to lay off several thousand more work.
ers in addition to 34,O0O already idle.
Chicago - President Thomas B.
Freeman of the Association of Com
merce estimated that the city's indus
trial effort had been cut in half bv
the coal shortage. The Illinois Depart
ment of Labor refused to grant strik-
ing miners claims for unemployment
compensation.
New York-Gov. Thomas E. Dewey
appointed a state emergency fuel direc-
tor to reduce the consumption of soft
coal.
New Jersey - The Public Utilities
Commission ordered a 10 p. m. curfew.
Boston-Nearly 300 passenger trains
were cut from railroad schedules in a
slx-state New England region by the
coal famine. Of five railroad lines in
the area, only one was unaffected bv
the federal order requiring a Is per
cent coal saving.
Philadelphia - The Budd Manufac-
turing company, which makes auto
NOBLE bodies, closed it's plant, affect
ing 5000 workers. The shutdown was
caused by the rail embargo.
Louisville, Ky.-Luther Stein, vice
president of the Belniap Hardware and
manufacturing Company, said "the
largest hardware jobbing firm in the
world" would close indefinitely tomor-
row because of the rail shipping ban.
About 1900 workers will be laid off.
Now that the mines will be in opera
ton again, it is not to be forgotten that
two weeks is exceedingly short. If Con-
gress gets to work on a strike-control
bill Immediately there will be time,
however, to bring John l.. Lewis and
all labor leaders into a proper relation
ship with the American people and the
nation in which they are allowed te
live.