Evening star., 1950-01-17
Denhom May Ask Court Order
I omorrow to Halt Coal Strike;
Truman Rejects Use Of Taft Act
Won't Invoke Law
Until He Is Sure
Of Emergency
By james Y. Newton

BY jones 7. Newton
The Government is expected Il
ask District Court tomorrow >fol
an order to restore full production
of coal, leading industry source!
said today.
There were these other develop
ments in the coal situation:
l. President Truman rejected
another appeal-from Seantor
Brewster, Republican, of Maine
that he invoke emergency injunc-
ton provisions of the Taft-Hartley
Act against the coal dispute.
2. The number of miners out on
strike in six States rose to 10000
most of whom were in Western
Pennsylvania.
3. The wildcat" strikes ano
three-day work week resulted in
a fuel shortage which caused the
Duquesne Light Co. in Pittsburgh
SO warn all major industries in
the area to prepare to close Their
plants by Friday night if ration
ing of power becomes necessary
The company had said earlier ra-
tioning would be used if the strikes
continue much longer.
4. The coal shortage also cut
into steel production. Crucible
Steel Co. announced in Pittsburgh
that its plant at Midland. Pa.
was cutting production Is pei
cent.
Aimed at Wildcat Strikes.
The petition requesting an in
junction against John L. Lewis
and his United Mine Workers
presumably would be aimed al
the wildcat" strikes in Pennsyl-
vania and West Virginia as vel
as at ending the three-day work
week in effect in the rest of the
soft coal and the hard coal fields
Robert N. DenhaIn, genera
counsel of the National Labor Re.
lations Board, will request the in.
junction, it was said, on tht
grounds that the UNIV has limitee
production in an attempt to force
the operators to sign a contrcct
violating the Taft-Hartley Act
The new Lewis contract which
some small producers have signed
provides for a type of union shop
which is outlawed by Taft-hartley
the operators contend.
Mr.. Denham's office said, how
ever, that the general counsel
had not decided definitely on the
Injunction, adding that he may
do so tomorrow afternoon. There
was the possibility, too, that the
White House might intervene
President Truman so far has re-
fused to invoke another part oi
the Taft-Hartley law-the emer.
gency injunction provisions
against the Lewis three-day week
Based on Operators Charges.
Mr.. Denham for the last twt
weeks has been building up hi!
case against the UNIV after mos
of the Nations operators flee
charges with him of unfair" Labor
practices and refusal to bargain
in good faith on the part of Mr.
Lewis.
Senator Brewster called on th'
President to tell him that the Goa
shortage has caused an emergenc!
in New England and that condi
tions might become tragic" If fue
supplies drop further. Conditions
he said, are particularly bad il
Maine.
The Senator said Mr.. Truman
told him he was not allergic tt
using the Taft-Hartley law, bu
that because of the necessity o
proving in court that nationa
emergency exists before an injunc.
ton can be obtained, he wanted tt
be sure of having a case. Tht
President indicated such evidenc,
is not available yet.
Meanwhile, the mine worker
played leap frog with their ney
strike strategy. More than 1900
of the country's 100000 soft-coa
miners were on strike. nearly al
Of them in key mines of the bi,
steel companies and large com
mercial producers. The shut
down was almost complete in high
ly industrialized Western Penn
sylvania where over $4,000 miner
were out. and the strike wa
spreading to Central Pennsylvania
Five additional steel compan
mines employing 1900 in Ala
bama were forced to close. Nearl
all the 1900 miners who refuset
to work in Alabama are employe,
by either United States Steel O
Republic Steel Corp. The patterl
was the same elsewhere witt
either mines owned by steel in
terests or key commercial proper