Evening star., 1952-06-11
President Reported
Planning 10 Await
Steel Legislation
Continued From First Page. }

presently provided unless Con-
gress as a whole refused to give
him seizure powers. This, pre-
sumably. means he will not invoke
the law unless both the Senate and
House finally reject his seizure
lplan.
Two Proposals Pending.
The Senate today was to get
two more cracks at the idea of US
ing seizure to end the steel strike.
One proposal was introduced by
Senator Morse, Republican. of
Oregon. Chairman Maybank of
the Senate Banking Committee
said he would have one, too.
| Meanwhile, John r. Steelman,
acting defense mobilizer. was pro-
ceeding with arrangements for re-
opening of some strike bound
mills to produce steel badly needed
for the military program. CIO
President Philip Murray and steel
company officers have agreed to
the idea.
MI. Steelman this afternoon
will make public a Government
company-steel union committee
which will develop plans for pro-
ducing the emergency steel. The
committee will meet tomorrow to
see just how much can be done
toward meeting the needs of the
weapons program.
Two Groups Join Forces.
Republican and Southern Dem
ocratic Senators joined forces to
adopt an official request" that
Mr.. Truman invoke at once the
Taft Hartley provisions. The Pres
ident had described this idea as
unfair, harmful and futile" The
Senate request was in form of an
amendment to the economic con-
trolls extension bill. It was in
troduced by Senator Byrd,
Democrat, of Virginia.
Mr.. Truman asked for special
powers to seize the steel mills be-
fore a joint session of Congress
yesterday. He said such a law
should allow the Government to
raise wages of the steelworkers as
well as provide for lust compen-
lsation" for the mill owners during
the seizure.
Senator Taft, Republican, of
Ohio, and co-author of Taft
Hartley, was instrumental in a.
succession of defeats for the
President on the seizure issue.
He said:
This was a direct answer to
the Presidents request for Con-
gress to act. Congress has acted"
Worst of Two Approaches.
Some officials believed that the
way Mr.. Truman asked for seizure
authority committed him to goI
|along with whatever course Con-
|gress selected in the steel contro-
versy. He said Taft-Hartley was
''by far the worse of the two ap-
|proaches" to ending the strike,
but. in effect. left the decision to
Congress.
Mr.. Truman pointed out that in
1850 the soft coal miners refused
to obey Taft-Hartley injunction.
This was interpreted as a broad
hint the CIO United Steelworkers
might follow the same course this
time.
Senator Maybank had sought
yesterday to write into the bill
Ia section to provide a 120-day, no
strike period. then permit seizure
|of the plants with the workers
pay frozen at pre-dispute levels |
and the Government obligated to
pay the companies "just compen-
sation" for use of the plants. It
was rejected 68 to IL.
Monr0ney Plan Rejected.
The Senate knocked down, So
to %, an amendment by Senator
Monroney, Democrat. Of Okla
homa, for 80-day seizures which
Congress could prolong, but which
would permit pay raises for the
workers based on any rise in the
cost of living index.
Then, by a 47-to-32 margin, it
rejected one by Senator Humphrey,
Democrat. of Minnesota, limited to
the steel plants. This sought to
permit seizure until settlement Is
reached, and allow the workers a I
pay raise set by Q fact finding
board.
The use the Taft Hartley
amendment, was approved by