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Show RAILROADS TO 1 HAVE FREE HAND IN USING COAL I CHICAGO, Nov. 20. Regional directors di-rectors of railroads today had a free' hand in dealing with curtailment of: non essential industries and unnecessary unneces-sary passenger traffic and extraordi-inary extraordi-inary efforts to conserve and distribute' the nation's steadily diminishing coal supply were being made. Except in the West Virginia fields.; upon which it was announced the rest I of the country would draw for abso-j lutely nooossnry requirements, there was little hope today for increased: production. The majority of the 425. j 000 bituminous miners who went on strike nearly three weeks ago main-tained main-tained their disposition to disregard; the 6trike recall order issued by then-acting then-acting president under direction of the federal court and to await developments develop-ments from the miners operators' con -ference III UlUltlU'J U Ul 111" lllljlric- who have returned to work was set 'for Friday, following failure of the miners and operators to agree on wages. There was hope however, that the workers would disregard the ,call. Martial Law Planned. Should the apparently deadlocked conference at Washington not reach I an agreement within a week, martial law and state operation of mines was planned in lowa Governor W. L. Harding said he was considering taking tak-ing o er the mines, offering the miners min-ers an increased wage and compens at lng the operators until a settlement was reached. The I'niled Stales court at Fargo N D., has issued a decree that ap- 'parenily would lead to restoration of the mines to their private owners. No state court has yet acted to change the situation brought about bv he gOV inor's action In seizing the lignite mines and ordering them operated by the state Application for an injunc tion in the state courts to restrain the governor is scheduled to be beard at Bismarck, D . today. oo |