Evening star., 1948-03-23
Miners Reject
Terms, Dispute
Goes 10 Truman
Cool Plan Is Called
'Grotesque' ond Made
To Aid Operators
By jones Y. Newton

BY Jones T. Newton
John L. Lewis United Mine
Workers today fiatly rejected a
Government proposal to end the
nine-day-old coal walkout, and
the Federal conciliation office
Immediately referred the dis
pute to the White House.
A union committee, in a letter to
Cyrus S. Ching, head of the Federal
Mediation and Cancellation Service,
described the Government proposal
as "grotesque" and made to aid
the coal operators ="
Mr.. Ching went to the White
House after receiving the UNIV
answer to his settlement plan and
conferred with John r. Steelman,
assistant to President Truman. 1t
was not known whether he talked
with the President.
First Step to Make Law.
The Ching move apparently was
the first step toward applying ma
tional emergency" provisions OF the
Taft Hartley Act against the tieup
resulting from a dispute over Mr..
Lewis demand for a miners pension.
Meanwhile. Col. j. Monroe john
son. defense transportation director
announced that a Is per cent cut
in movement of freight by coal
burning locomotives will be ordered
this week end unless the miners re-
turn to work.
A similar reduction for coal
burning passenger trains already is
in effect.
Col johnson said the IS per cent
freight reduction will apply to the
movement of all commodities except
coal itself. The cut will be on the
basis Of locomotive miles.
Ching's Final Move.
Mr.. Ching's Office said he left in
structions to tell reporters he was
referring the dispute to the White
House and that there would be no
further word from him on it.
Under the Taft Hartley Act,
President Truman is empowered to
appoint board of inquiry into a
dispute which affects national well
fare. After the board reports, At
torney General Clark could obtain
an injunction if the union refuses
to call of the strike.
Mr.. Ching proposed to the UNIV
NA ~. t1r
the miners return to work while a
fact finding board selected by the
parties investigated the pension dis
pute.. The operators accepted "re-
luctantlyr
The union letter to MIR. Ching re-
jecting the offer was not signed by
Mr.. Lewis, but by the three-man
committee composed of UNIV Sec
retary Treasurer John Owens, John
T. Owens and w. A. Boyle, two other
union officials. 1t read:
1--WE advise you further in rela-
ton to your grotesque offer of yes
terday.
Only One Issue.
"The United Mine Workers of
America considers that the offer was
made to aid the coal operators, who
have dishonored their agreement,
and to further defraud the berle-
ficiaries of the welfare fund. We
could not recommend its acceptance
by the individual mine workers.
There is one one issue; /. e., shall
the existing agreement be honored?"
Several persons are known to be
under consideration as members of
the Taft-Hartley coal board. They
include DR.. George w. Taylor, Uni
versity of Pennsylvania professor
and onetime chairman of the War
Labor Board; Mark Ethridge, Louis
vile publisher; Robert M. La Fol-
lette, former Senator from Wiscon-
sin, and former Supreme Court
Justice owen j. Roberts.
Creation of the board was urged
by Senator Ball, Republican, of
Minnesota. chairman of the Senate
House watchdog" committee on
operation OF the Taft Hartley Act.
Senator Ball talked to reporters
after the group met to study the coal
dispute. He emphasized that he was
speaking only for himself in urging
the emergency action.
Would Stay. Out of Picture.
Senator Ball told reporters that If
the presidential board were set up,
his committee would "stay out OF the
picture, but watch it closely"
He added, however, that his group
could recommend legislation aimed
at ending the strike or hold a public
hearing to get the whole thing out
on the table" The committee last
week called for reports from both
sides, although Senator Ball said it
did not get all the facts it wanted.
The UMW's rejection of the Gov
(See COAL, Page A-60