Evening star., 1947-04-07

| the Pittsburgh area is 10000 tons.
All is Pittsburgh district mines OF
the United States Steel Corp, lead
ing steel producer. were closed,
prompting curtailment of about 20
per cent irl blast furnace operations.
A Navy spokesman said that In
the Pittsburgh area 40 or SO Fed
eral inspectors are working II to ii
hours day to pass on mine safety.
The Pennsylvania Railroad fur
loughed $500 train crewmen on its
Pittsburgh division and said addi-
tional furloughs were expected. The
divisions movement OF coal cars
dropped from $4,000 week to an
anticipated 1000.
During the six-day mourning Pc
riod called for the Centralia disaster
many UNIV leaders urged the min
ers not to return to mines until they
were certified as safe.
Steel Cuts Back Again.
The first effect of the prolonged
mine work stoppage on coal-depend-
ent industried was reported In
Pittsburgh, where the United States
Steel Corp. said additional curtail-
ments equivalent to IN blast fur
naces had been ordered. United
States Steel had ordered cutbacks
equivalent to 5la blast furnaces dur
ing last weeks mourning period"
Curtailments now are equivalent
to eight blast furnaces at a loss OF
1000 tons. of pig iron daily in the
Pittsburgh district, steel spokes-
man. said. United States Steel IN
cludes youngstown and Loraia, 40
blast furnaces, some OF which are
down at all times for repairs.
Industrial sources were loath to
comment on what the effects Of q
prolonged work stoppage would be.
Plants, generally, got through the
mourning period with little disrup-
ton because of adequate stockpiles.
But continued tieup of bituminous
production would be a different
matter.
The troubled situation in the coal
fields sprang from determination OF
John l.. Lewis, UNIV president, not
to send his men into mines he
branded unsafe. He demanded all
but 2 of the 1881 soft coal mines be
closed until federally inspected.
Secretary Krug refused.
That exchange largely halted the
orderly process by which the 5l8
mines the Government called unsafe
were being certified as safe by joint
agreement of operators and union
safety committees. Union district
leaders took the position that only
Federal inspectors could pronounce
the pits safe.
Meanwhile, Secretary Krug called
on the governors of 15-coal mining
States to correct dangerous con-
ditions' In 162 mines out OF the
governments reach because they
are not Federally managed.
Hazards Are Emphasized.
Referring to his own action in
operating under government seizure,
Secretary Krug wrote that he had
taken steps, where he had the
authority, ito correct outstanding
dangerous conditions" The workings
are to remain closed until certified
safe.
He told the governors that the
Centralia disaster emphasizes the
hazards of coal mining and the need
of greater efforts to prevent mine
accidents"
The Government, he pointed out,
has no authority to direct correction
of unsafe conditions in mines not
under Federal management. He
offered the governors any assis-
tance his department can give.
Appended to the letter was q list
Of the 162 mines, by States, and
explosion hazards in them reported
by Bureau of Mines inspectors.
The list showed n mines in Illi-
nois, 19 in Ohio, is in Pennsylvania,
l6 in West Virginia, 8 in Kentucky,
6 in Indiana, in Alabama, 4 in
Oklahoma, 3 in Virginia, 2 each in
Colorado, Tennessee and Montana,
and / each in Utah, Washington
and Wyoming.
In general, the mines are nom
union workings or are manned by
members of the Progressive Miners
Union and were not affected by last
wears United Mine Workers strike