Evening star., 1949-10-09
Lewis and Operators
To Resume Talks on
Mine Pact.Wednesday
By james Y. Newton

John L. Lewis and the Nations
soft coal operators renew their
efforts this week to reach contract
agreement and end the three-week
mine shutdown under the watch
full eye of the Government which
is ready to step into the negotia-
tions again at the sign of another
deadlock.
The strike, which followed more
than two months of limited coal
production under Mr.. Lewis
three-day work week. already is
|pinching the country'S economy
in a number of places. The effect
of dwindling coal supplies will be-
come much more harmful if the
shutdown is prolonged The Gov
ernment said the supply situation
is approaching the crisis stage.
Mr.. Lewis yesterday reached
agreement with Northern, Western
and steel company operators to
make another try at coal industry
accord in negotiations to open at
White Sulphur Springs, w. Va, at
3 pm. Wednesday. At the same
hour, the United Mine Workers
second team" will resume con-
tract talks with Southern mine
owners at Charleston, w. Va.
Warns Time Is Short.
If the negotiations again bog
down, Cyrus S. Ching, the Fed
eral mediation chief, plans to call
the disputants here again. 1t was
at Mr.. Ching's suggestion that the
miners and owners agreed to re-
new their peace talks. He warned
the time was short for agreement.
Mr.. Ching's next step probably
would be to suggest that President
Truman offer to appoint a fact
finding board to hear the dispute
and recommend a settlement as
he, did in the steel controversy.
Just what Mr.. Lewis reaction
would be to the fact finding ap-
proach is not known definitely,
but judging from past actions he
would reject the idea. Several
times in the past he has refused
to submit his dispute to Govern
ment boards.
The White House sooner or
later probably will be called upon
to take emergency action in the
coal strike, and officials already
are debating what form it should
take. The most obvious approach
would be to invoke the national
emergency section of the Taft
Hartley Act with its provision for
enforcement of an 80-day strike
truce through application of Fed
eral court injunction. But a deci-
sion to use Taft-Hartley would
be a hard one for President Tru-
man to make in view of his re-
peated attacks on the labor rela-
tions law.
Steel Strike Action Expected.
Meanwhile, some action from
the Government to end the dead
locked week-old steel strike is
expected soon. 1t may come this
week in the form of a summons
from Mr.. Ching to industry and
CIO- United SteelWorkers officials
to conferences here. He is ex-
pected to step into the strike
again when he feels the industry,
including the union members,
have wearied. of the strike.
Philip Murray, president of the
steel workers, will tour principal
steel cities next week to make
strike pep talks before mass meet
ingS.
He will be in Youngstown, Ohio,
Tuesday; at West Field, Home
stead, Pa, Thursday, and in
Bethlehem, Pa, next Sunday. The
time has not yet been set for
meetings in Cleveland, Chicago
and Lackawanna, Pa. Mr.. Muir
ray also will speak on a Nation
wide radio broadcast at 8:15 pm.
Wednesday.
Five More Plants Sign.
Another five plants employing
1850 men have signed on Mr..
Murray's terms, the union said.
They are:
H. H. Robertson, Ambridge
Pa, 1000 men; The Heppenstall
Co., Pittsburgh, 900; sAdamson
Tank Co., East Palestine, Ohio,
15n. 1np-Rich Natal procl,,nfc