Evening star., 1950-02-28
Coal.
Continued From First Page.)

ference, and DR.. w. H. Young, {
Federal Bureau of Mines official
The Government presented II
witnesses before Judge Keech yes.
terday to show the widespread ex.
tent Of the strike. The prosecu.
tion was attempting to show thai
most of the miners walked out al
the same time February 6 anc
stayed on strike despite Judge
Keech's restraining order of Feb.
ruary II.
Mr.. Morrison also was attempting
to prove that the walkout wa!
directed by the UNIV. However
it may not be necessary to prove
such direction in order to get 6
conviction. In a similar contempt
case against the UNIV and Mr.
Lewis in 1948, Judge T. Alar
Goldsborough laid down the doc.
trine that a union is responsible
for the mass action of it's mem.
berS regardless of issuance of 6
formal strike order.
Welly K. Hopkins. chief UNIV
attorney. is basing his defense or
the contention that the miners
laid down their tools as free in.
dividuals. He says that for the
court to force the men to work
against their will is in violation
of their constitutional rights. Mr.
Hopkins contends the miners have
continued their work stoppage de.
spite all efforts of Mr.. Lewis anc
the UNIV to end it.
Mr.. Lewis is not charged with
contempt so far because he twice
has sent strike-end messages tt
the miners.
The trial was recessed late yes.
terday to allow opposing attorney!
to argue what was described al
"a tough point of evidence" in The
privacy of Judge Keech's cham.
bers.. The point repeatedly was
| introduction by Mr.. Morrison o1
the UMW's conviction in 1916 anG
1948 for refusing to obey other
strike-end orders. On the ~.two
occasions, the UNIV was fined 9
total of $2,100.000 and Mr.. Levi!
$50. 900. for contempt.
An apparent mixup in signal!
between attorneys prosecuting tn.
case and the Government attemp
to win the contract settlement lee
to the recess of nearly "a hours
Federal attorneys said they die
not ask resumption of the tria
this morning because they did no
want to interfere with the nego'
tiations. But the contract talk.
already had been postponed indefi
nitely by the mediators at tn,
Hotel Statler.
Disputants Still Far Apart.
When the contract talks were
recessed, Federal Mediation CHIEF
Cyrus S. Ching and David L. Cole
chairman of President Truman.
coal dispute board, reported the
operators and miners still some
distance from contract agreement
The UNIV, it was said, had low.
cred somewhat it's demands fol
an 85-cent-per-day wage in.
crease and a boost of Is cents ir
operator payments to the unior
welfare fund. On the other hand
the operators repeatedly had Of
fered a modest wage increase ano
indicated they would be willing
to increase welfare payments be.
yond the 20 cents per ton pro.
vided by the old contract.
1t was learned that the media
tors again were unsuccessful il
their attempts to arrange a true,
in the dispute so that the whole
contract argument could be sub
mitted to presidential fact-find
ing board.
The operators were said to b.
/ agreeable. But the union re-
portedly rejected the idea. Mr.
Lewis turned down request O
Mr.. Truman for fact-finding ant
a To-day truce early this month.
Strike Effects Increasing
Effects of the strike continued
meanwhile, to show in severity.
The Bethlehem Steel Co. bega1
curtailing operations at it's Johns
town plant in Central Pennsyl
vania. General Manager Ralpl
E. Hough said the firm is oper
ating four of seven blast furnace
and 10 of 81 open hearths. HI
refused to estimate the numbe.
of workers to be furloughed or thu
amount of the production cutback
The Carnegie Illinois Steel Corp
said supplies are so low it is re
ducing steel making in the Pitts
burgh district from 96 to So pc,
cent of capacity. Unestimatet
thousands will be laid of.
The American Iron 81 Stee
Institute said steel operations il
the Nation are scheduled at 49,
per cent of capacity this week
the lowest figure since the week o
November ID.
Carnegie Illinois, largest Unitet
States Steel Corp. subsidiary, al
ready has reduced operation
sharply at its plants in the Bir
mingham. Ala, area.
Other big Steel" subsidiariei
like National. Tube and American
Steel g. Wire Co.'S, also are cutting
production to save fuel.
/ The Colorado Fuel & Iror
Corp. closed one Of three bias
furnaces at Pueblo, furloughinl