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Show Coal Wbge;f5.sputie Tyrned Over to President Truman' ... . s " . : : , - '.:- Ching Slops Effort lo' Halt Sf rike WASHINGTON, Nov, 16' OTP) j The federel mediation servioe ' Wednesdsy tarned the soft coal wage dispute over' to President Truman, leaving It np to him to' prevent a new, coal strike Dec 1. - Cyrus 8. Chlng, federal media- M -hi., rtt.rrmA the fOSl ilS- pute to the WMte House at a conference con-ference with Mr. Truman's chief labor adviser, presidentlsl assistant assist-ant John R. Steelman. ' Chlng told Steelman that "fur-- "fur-- ther mediation effort! in the case ' " would be fruitless." Chlng Said Chlng told newsmen that' it's - now up to the White House to head off the new soft coal striks " - which John L Lewis has scheduled for Dec 1 unless the United Mine Workers get together with the coal f Industry on a new contract before then, v ' Ching said he made no recommendations recom-mendations to 8teelmsa en what course of action Mr. Truman ahould take. It was learned, however, how-ever, that the president may: 1. Ask Lewis and the coal Industry In-dustry to postpone all strikes and lockouts until a special factfinding fact-finding board Investigates the dispute dis-pute and recommends a settlement settle-ment or . 2. Invoke the national ' emergency emer-gency section of the Taft-Hartley act and seek a federal court Injunction, In-junction, forbidding strikes or lockouts in the coal fields for about SO days. , Tramaa to Act . . ' Mr. Truman is expected to act quickly, perhaps as early as Thursday, - Ching. who has held long meetings meet-ings wtth both Lewis and the coal operators over the past month, said hs wss convinced that ths Cies are "farther apart" than Were last spring. . "From my talks with ths operators opera-tors It seems to me they are mors solid In their position than ever before." Ching said. "I feel that further mediation efforts In this eass would be fruitless." At Odds Ths United Mine Workers president presi-dent and ths coal operators have been at dds over new contract terms since last May. Lewis never has spelled out publicly his demands, de-mands, but he has estimated that what hs wants would cost the coal company between SOe and SSc a ton for every ton of coal mined. The coal operator! have refused to even listen to any contract demands de-mands which. In their words, "might fores a price increase In coal." Whits House aids said Mr. Tru-Bee Tru-Bee Page 1, Column 4 Coal Row Goes To President Caottaoed tram Page Oae man ii determined to atop the next coal etrike before It starts. They said he la worried about its pos-aible pos-aible effects on the economy, alnce It would coma only a short while after the 6iiday mine shutdown which ended last week. Chine; ha all but given up hope of getting an agreement. He told newsmen his talks with Lewis and the o perm tori convinced him they are "farther apart than ever." The bitterness engendered by the' tang dispute was emphasized last night in statement from Lewis' headquarters. - A United Mine Workers "spokesman," "spokes-man," presumably Lewis, accused the companies of - "setting the stage for a gigantic price gouge" that would hike coal prices fiO cents to 11 50 a ton. His statement said two companies com-panies already had "surreptitiously raised the per-ton price of their coal to the retail dealer from 15 to T5 centa a ton." The companies were named as the Eastern Oaa and Fuel Associates and the Pocahontas Poca-hontas Fuel Co. Officials of both companies promptly denied the union statement. state-ment. In Boston, a spokesman for Eastern Oas and Fuel aald "our contract prices for coal now are lower than they were ia March." |