GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS TO TRY AND SETTLE SOFT COAL DISPUTE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 14070, 27 May 1946, Page 3

GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS TO TRY AND SETTLE SOFT COAL DISPUTE

CAB-REACHING POWERS FOR PRESIDENT UNDER DRASTIC EMERGENCY BILL

London, May 26. As the United States railways came to life again the rnment turned to the job of trying to settle the soft coal \ fuute. It was announced earlier that the railway strike “ S IU Qn iy three minutes before the deadline s'et by President Mean for the taking over of the railway by the army. 1T The soft coal mines were taken over last week by the Secrcof the Interior (Mr Grew). Earlier the miners agreed to back for a fortnight to allow fresh negotiations to take 8? e but this truce has now expired without any agreement. P p reS ident Truman has seen Mr Crew to-day and the j ner s’ leader, Mr John L. Lewis, is meeting Mr Crew in an Itempt to come to terms that wall send the men back to the bits to-morrow. f It is to-morrow that the Senate, is to consider President Truman’s drastic Emergency Powers Bill which was passed by • House of Representatives yesterday. This bill would give the President far-reaching powers to tackle a situation he proclaimed to be a national emergency. Under it he could conscript into the armed forces anyone ff ho could be used to run strike-bound concerns and management and labour officials would become liable to fines and imprisonment if they hindered the resumption of work at irovernment-op'erated concerns during an emergency. x " Washington correspondents say this proposed legislation may have some effect on the miners’ decision.