Evening star., 1946-10-28
Coal Showdown Near; !;
u. 5. Seeks Way Out,
Pores Over Contract
Sy ihe Assoeioisd Press

The prediction coal crisis
headed into the showdown stage
today between John l.. Lewis and
the Truman administration.
While Mr.. Lewis himself appeared
to be on something of spot with
his implied threat of walkout by
his 10000 soft coal miners Friday,
the immediate pressure was on the
White House.
The big decision that has to be
made there is whether Cd to give
in again-as the Government did
when Secretary of Interior Krug
signed a contract with Mr.. Lewis
last spring to end that 59-day strike
or t2) to let the miners quit work
four days before the elections and
take whatever political consequences
there might be.
Mr.. Krug, who last week refused
to break off his Western inspection
tour to meet Mr.. Lewis here on the
Friday deadline, still holds the top
presidential assignment to solve the
dispute.
Legal Point Studied.
Helping out are Reconversion
Director John r. Steelman and
George Washington of the Solicitor
Generals office, who is pouring
over the Krug-Lewis agreement of
last May to determine whether the
United Mine Workers chief is right
in saying that his contract with the
Government can be reopened No
vember /.
Mr.. Krug contends it was to be
In force for the entire period of
Government operation of the mines.
But Lewis insists that termination
clause in his last contract with the
operators. which he voided last
March 81, had been carried over
into the Government pact.
Mr.. Lewis, accusing the Federal
Coal Mines Administration of
preaching the Krug-Lewis contract,
through Misrepresentation" wants
to begin negotiating Friday for
new agreement-calling for higher
wages or possibly a shorter work
week without loss in pay.
Further, the UNIV boss says If
Mr.. Krug fails to honor" his de-
mand for the November / meeting,
the current contract will be void as
of that date instead of. November
20, when Mr.. Lewis originally in
dicated he planned to end the Gov
ernment agreement.
Royalty Already Provided.
The May % contract, hailed by
the union at that time as one of the
best in its history, gave the miners
the standard 1871 cent hourly in
crease and set up a welfare and re-
tirement fund with a scent royalty
on each ton of coal produced. There
already is more than 5000, 900 in
this fund, and in good production
year like 1914, the union would gross
$3O, ,oO0, 900.
Mr.. Lewis, in forcing an end to
the Krug-Lewis agreement, will be
tossing that contract out of the
and starting from scratch.
The operators have been unable to
agree among themselves on whether
to accept the Krug-Lewis compact
and take back their mines, which
they are running for the Coal Mines
Mr.. Lewis, how
ever, never actually offered to work
for them on those terms. e.
"a Other Considerations ts y
In addition to uncertainty, over
the welfare zfund, Mr.. Lewis finds
himself facing apparent response
bility in these other respects-if the
Friday strike threat xnateriaIixes:x
me Hin3 Ia G:pns1ai n NJ Labor
Disputes Act; under which the mines
were seized last May %, provides a
5000 fine or a jear in jail or both
If it can be proved that Mr.. Lewis
or any other union leader-induced
the miners to stay home,
2. BY elbowing to the fore among
union leaders planning new round
of wage demands, Mr.. Lewis has
risked making his own UNIV rather
than the CIO the rallying point for
antilabor legislation in the new
T.onoress