Evening star. [volume], May 24, 1946, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Weather Forecast Guide for Readers
Mostly cloudy, high in upper 70s today. Some- p p
what warmer tonight, tomorrow; one or two
showers likely tomorrow. Amusements. A-18 Obituary. A-12
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low, 52, at 5:06 a.m. Yesterday—High, 76, Edit'iaU Articles A-ll Sports_ A-15-17
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94th YEAR. No. 37,274. Phone NA. 5000. ^^H^t«Te•nDs>^^,Ady.8us,i<1So, 5 CENTS
STEEL PUNTS CLOSING, MAIL EMBARGO ON;
TRUMAN CALLS NEW RAIL STRIKE PARLEY
— * .A. A_
Shortages Tie Up
All Except One ot
Bethlehem Mills
U. S. Steel Expects
275,000 Will Be
Idle by Monday
By the Associated Press
NEW YORK, May 24.—Swiftly
moving paralysis hit large seg
ments of the Nation’s steel in
dustry today, with the world’s
largest steel producer preparing
for & complete shutdown by
Monday if the rail strike con
tinues.
The second biggest steel company,
Bethlehem, reported all of its steel
making operations already had been
shut down with the exception of a
plant at Johnstown. Pa., where sev
aral open hearths continued to 'op
erate.
A spokesman for the United
States Steel Corp. said 275,000 work
ers in its various operations would
be Idle by Monday if the double
impact of the rail tieup and the
coal shortage continued. Only
maintenance crews would be kept oij.
The Bethlehem Steel Co. closing
at Bethlehem, Pa., made 6,000 more
workers idle.
Bethlehem's Lackawanna plant
halted all steel and iron production
completely and kept only a single
battery of coke ovens in operation.
Another Halts Sunday.
At Tonawanda, N. Y., the Wick
wire Spencer division of the Col
orado Fuel & Iron Co. planned to
halt all production on Sunday be
cause of inability to get shipments
out of the plant. Its blast furnace
operations thereafter would be
turned to foundry iron instead of
basic iron for steelmaking.
Republic Steel reported from
Cleveland that it was continuing
operations there for the present, tfut
could make no forecast as to how
long this would continue. At Buf
falo, N. Y., Republic withdrew one
of Its seven hearths from service.
The Ore and Coal Exchange in
Cleveland reported that all ore and
coal fleets on the Great Lakes were
preparing to tie up their vessels be
cause of the rail strike and would
have them at moorings within 48
hours.
218 Were in Commission.
Of the 218 vessels in commission,
the exchange estimated 65 to 70 per
cent were in operation when the rail
strike began, having resumed their
runs under the coal truce. Two
weeeks ago they were laid up by
the fuel shortage.
Pittsburgh Steamship Co., United
States Steel subsidiary which op
erates 62 vessels, largest inland fleet
in the W'orld, announced orders had
gone out to tieup the entire fleet,
with the crews remaining aboard
until further notice. Fifteen ore
carriers will lay up at Duluth and
two harbors, the rest at lower lake
ports.
Shipping men explained the tieup
came because loading operations are
handled by railroad men, and be
cause the strike stopped rail trans
portation from the Minnesota iron
ore mines to upper lake docks.
U. S. Steel Closing Down.
The ♦ast operations of United
States Steel appeared to be moving
rapidly toward a complete stop. A
birdseye survey showed:
The corporation’s coal mines in
West Virginia. Kentucky and Illi
nois operated today, but will close
at the end of the working day be
cause cars are lacking. One mine
in Alabama was idle. Another at
Palmer, Pa., will continue to oper
ate as its output is transported by
water.
All of the corporation's interplant
railroads, which move the multi
tude of materials and finished prod
ucts from one plant to another,
were idle.
The corporation’s subsidiaries op
erated this week at approximately
33 per cent of potential capacity, but
no forecast of activity next "week
will be undertaken pending a better
view of the immediate future.
Nuernberg Red Aide Killed
NUERNBERG, May 24 (/P)Gen.
N. D. Zorya, assistant to the chief
Soviet prosecutor at the interna
tional war crimes trial, was killed
yesterday while handling a gun, it
was announced today.
What Washington
Is Reading
As a guide to readers The
Sunday Star has arranged with
the leading booksellers of
Washington and suburban
areas to report each week the
books which sell best. This
survey, presented in the form
of a ^weekly chart, is a new
feature of the Sunday Book
Section which offers timely and
authoritative reviews of the
newest books. In addition,
these is printed a list of the
best sellers based on a national
survey of the country's princi
pal cities.
FOR BOOK REVIEWS
AND BOOK NEWS
KEEP UP WITH YOUR
READING
—IN—
©If? S>mtiiag &tar
v I
President Signs
Bill Increasing
Government Pay
President Truman today signed
the bill increasing the pay of ap
proximately 1,000,000 classified Fed
eral Government employes by 14
per cent. About 200,000 of the em
ployes, who will get the increase
beginning July 1, live in Washington.
The measure increases by $250 the
annual pay of all employes making
less than $1,900 a year and by 14
per cent from there on up until the
increase brings the salary to the
$10 000 limit, which still holds.
Members of the Senate and House
Civil Service Committees, Civil
i Service Commissioners and heads
I of Government employe unions were
| invited to attend the ceremony of
I the signing of the bill, which had
taken seven months to get through
Congress.
Abram Flaxer, president of the
CIO United Public Workers of
America, was not invited to attend
the signing with the heads of other
Government employe groups. A
White House spokesman said this
was because Mr. Flaxer's organiza
tion had opposed the pay bill.
Lewis Refuses to Call
Policy Group Session;
Scores Seizure Plan
Indication Seen That
End of Coal Strike
Is Still Far Away
By James Y. Newton
John L. Lewis today notified
his 250-man Policy Committee
that it would not be convened in
the near future, implying that
any settlement of the long
standing coal dispute was not in
the offing.
There was no announcement of
the Policy Committee action. A
notice posted in the United Mine
Workers' Building here and address
ed to members of the committee
read:
•‘Government seizure of the mines
invokes the punitive provisions of
the infamous Smith-Connally slave
statute.
Held Invasion of Liberty.
“This imperils legally the liberty
of individual members of the union.
Until further clarification there will
be no meeting of the National Pol
icy Committee."
The notice was signed simply,
“Lewis.”
The notification to the ^committee
could mean that Mr. Lewis intends
to take no action to extend the mine
strike truce w'hich expires tomorrow'
midnight.
However. Mr. Lewis has on past
occasions taken major steps without
convening the committee. He was
not at hand today to comment.
Operators See Krug.
Meanwhile, the soft coal operators’
Negotiating Committee met with
Secretary of Interior Krug, the Gov
ernment mine boss, for more than
three hours this morning. Neither
side would comment after the con
ference.
Mr. Krug called in the operators
to describe proposals for a new con
tract with Lewis, which he is said
to have made late yesterday.
Industry officials said that vir
tually all mines, including anthra
cite, untouched by strike so far,
(See COAL, Page A-4.1 j
Admiral Rebuked for Loss
Of Articles From Planes
By the Associated Press
The Senate War Investigating
Committee today released a report
on the theft or loss of some $30,000
worth of clocks, pressure cookers
and other articles from Navy patrol
bomber planes.
The report said Secretary of the
Navy Forrestal had informed Sena
tors of “administrative disciplinary
action" against Vice Admiral Robert
C. Giffen and four other naval offi
cers in charge of the Naval Air
Station at San Juan. Puerto Rico,
between May and October of last
year. Admiral Giffen, the report
said, received a “severe reprimand.’
The San Juan report was made a
part of the committee’s official rec
ord as the Senators resumed hear
ings on what Chairman Mead
termed “irregularities in business
operations conducted by the Navy
at Pearl Harbor.’’
George Meader, committee coun
sel, said the “severe reprimand" for
Admiral Giffen was the first of its
kind in naval history against so
high-ranking an officer.
Hannegan Puts
Weight Limit
At 16 Ounces
Letters for Local
Delivery Exempted;
Public Aid Asked
BULLETIN
The Air Transport Com
mand and the Naval Air
Transport Service will carry
the bulk of the Nation’s long
haul first-class mail under
plans being worked out this
afternoon by officials of the
two services, ODT, the Post
Office Department and com
mercial airlines. The com
mercial routes will assist ATC
and NATS wherever neces
sary and will continue to
handle regular air mail.
Postmaster General Hannegan
today placed under embargo all
but first-class mail normally
routed over the railroads now
strike-bound and ordered postal
employes throughout the Nation
to enforce a 16-ounce weight
limit on first-class and air mail.
Mail for local delivery was ex
empted from the embargo, as was
that not usually carried by the rail
lines now inoperative.
“We shall use such rail facilities
as continue to be available, and
planes, motor vehicles, interurban
electric lines and power boats,” Mr.
Hannegan said in his embargo
order.
Public Asked to Co-operate.
“Field officials of the postal serv
ice are authorized to contract with
out bidding for transportation of
the mails where necessary and
available.”
Asking for “full cooperation”
from the public during the emer
gency. Mr. Hannegan urged:
“Please mail nothing that Ls not
essential. This is no time for busi
ness houses to put vast numbers of
circulars into the mails at the first
class rate of postage.”
Meanwhile, the Office of Defense
Transportation ordered such rail
roads as are running to remove pas
sengers if necessary in order to
carry mail.
The postal embargo will halt
movement of the bulk of nonlocal
mail which has averaged approxi
mately 10,750 tons per dav. Non
local first-class (letter) mail and air
mail, which will continue to go
through under the order, represents
a daily average of but 779 tons.
Directive From ODT.
The Post Office Department rec
ognizes fully the serious conse
quences of this limitation.” Mr.
Hannegan said. “We have taken
this action in conformity with the
directives of the Office of Defense
Transportation which, by authority
of the President, is co-ordinating
the Nation’s transportation.
“I am directing all postal officials
to continue to accept mail of all
classes where normal transport fa
cilities continue to be available,” Mr.
Hannegan continued.
“For example, the only mail trans
port facilities between many com
munities are contract highway star
routes. There are 11,200 of these,
and they have an average length
of 27 miles. The 66 interurban elec
(See POST OFFICE. Page A-4.)
Cost of Family Necessities
Has Risen 50% Since 1939
By the Associated Press
Most of the things that make up
the average family budget now;
cost more than 50 per cent above!
their price the day war started in
Europe, the Bureau of Labor Sta-,
tistics said today.
"Food, clothing and house fur
nishings costs, which represent 571
per cent of the budget for wage
earners and moderate income work
ers, in large cities, are now a little
over 50 per cent higher than in
August, 1939,” the bureau declared
in a report reviewing the steady j
climb in retail costs.
The consumers price index now
stands at 130.9 per cent of the
1935-39 average and 3 per cent above
the average a year ago.
Food prices increased 1.1 per cent
from mid-March to mid-April, with
higher prices in all major groups.
A reduction in size of bread
loaves, requested by the Famine
Committee, caused an increase of
4.8 per cent in the average price
for a pound of bread, the report
noted.
Navy Secret Weapon Revealed as Germ Spray
With Power of Wiping Out Entire Cities
By the Associated Press
A germ spray reportedly capable
of wiping out large cities and entire
crops at a single blow is this coun
try's newest secret weapon, ‘‘far
more deadly than the atomic bomb."
This disclosure leaked out of Con
gress after the first bare hint was
dropped on the floor of the House
yesterday.
Sketchy details of the frightening
germ weapons were provided by
members of the House Appropria
tions Committee who learned of
their development behind guarded
doors.
These members, specifying that
l %
| their names not be used, told a re
! porter full detials were given the
committee during hearings on the
Navy’s $4,639,718,000 appropriation
| bill which the House passed yester
day and sent to the Senate.
There are several of the germ
(Weapons, one member said, adding
that they have been developed to
the point where they could be used
whenever necessary. Also, he said,
the United States is the sole pos
sessor of the secrets involved.
"They have developed a weapon
that can wipe out all form of life in
a large city,” this member declared.
“It is a germ proposition and is
sprayed from airplanes that can
I
fly high enough while doing it to be
reasonably safe from ground fire.
It is quick and certain death.”
While not familiar with minute
details, he said the germs are highly
contagious and presumably could
be spread by bombs.
"You would not have to drop a
germ on every person in a city,” he
asserted. “One operation would be
sufficient, lor the effects would
spread rapidly.”
Another development, this com
mittee member related, would make
it possible for planes to fly over the
Dakotas, for example, and destroy
the entire wheat crop with a single
(See WEAPON, Page A-6.)
ft
U. 5. Mobilizing
All Nonrail Facilities
To Alleviate Crisis
ODT Embargoes Freight
To Make Best Use of
Available Transport
(Pictures on Page B-l.)
The greatest strike In railroad
history today reduced the stream
of rail transportation to a thin
trickle in Washington and
throughout the Nation as the
country geared itself to face se
vere shortages of food and fuel.I
The Government mobilized all
non-rail transportation systems in
efforts to meet the emergency:
caused by the walkout of 250,000
members of the striking Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen and
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi
neers.
President Truman turned over to
Col. J. Monroe Johnson, ODT di
rector. all his wartime transport
powers and ODT immediately
placed embargoes on freight ship
ments by air, truck and w»ater to
assure movement of essential food
and mail.
station vnmany ueservea.
In Washington, instead of the 350
trains that rush through Union
Station in the average day. trans
portation was limited to 6 outgoing
trains and 10 incoming ones, all
manned by special crews.
Union Station was virtually de
serted. Air and bus travel was
at a premium.
In the freight yards here, the
word was “nothing in and nothing
out.” At Potomac Yards, main
freight artery for the South, coal
ana perishable foods had been
moved ahead of the strike, but to
day nothing was moving.
The chances of Government work
ers getting out of town for the week
end were slim. Friday is usually the
biggest day at Union Station with
the weekly exodus beginning after
4 p.m.
All but 30 of Union Station's 150
redcaps were given the choice of
going home or remaining on duty
today. The Washington Terminal
Co. said the porters would be kept
in an “alert” status in case train
travel picked up. Officials said 30
or more porters would be on duty
during the next 24 hours.
Hundreds of would-be Washing
ton travelers apparently preferred
to stay off trains rather than risk
being halted en route. From all
big cities came reports that thou-;
sands of travelers and commuters
were stranded. Hotels were jam
(Continued on Page A-4, Column 1)
Pauley Sees Marshall
NANKING, May 24 (&).—The Amer
ican reparations commissioner, Ed
win Pauley, arrived today from Se
oul, Korea, and immediately con
ferred with Gen. George C. Mar
shall about his proposed reparations
inspection tour in Manchuria.
District Heads Act to Protect
Public as Food Items Dwindle
Commissioners Meet
With Businessmen
To Discuss Situation
Preparing to protect the pub
lic from hunger and supply
shortages during the rail strike,
the District Commissioners to
day obtained from leaders in
business and industry here re
ports showing that power and
fuel were not in immediate dan
ger. but that the food supply was
rapidly dwindling, part of it al
most to the vanishing point.
The meat supply may be exhaust
ed as early as this afternoon, but
there is an adequate supply of poul
try.
Drugs, and medical supplies may
last from two weeks to two months.
Assurance was given that trucking
facilities are on hand to meet emer
gencies.
This picture was given the Com
missioners today at a District Build
D. C. Food Ample;
Commissioners Ask
No Panic Buying
The District Commissioners
today issued an appeal to Dis
trict residents to abstain from
panic-buying of foodstuffs in
the interests of the general
welfare.
They pointed out that ample
stock is on hand at present and
there is no need for alarm.
"No serious difficulties need
develop,” they said, "as long as
our citizens do not waste their
money by expensive and need
less hoarding.”
'See marketing storv on Page
B-l.)
ing meeting called swiftly on the
heels of the rail strike. The Board
af Trade had called leaders together
at request of the Commissioners.
Engineer Commissioner Gordon R.
Young promised the city that fleets
(See-U CTSUPPLIES. Page A-5.i
700 Carloads of Food
And Livestock Left
In Potomac Yards
200 Hogs in Two Cars
Fed and Watered
By Attendants
Approximately 700 carloads of
Perishable foods and livestock
left stranded on sidings in Po
tomac Yards, Alexandria, when
railroad workers walked off the
job, were still standing this af
ternoon as attendants took food
and water to animals in two of
the cars.
Approximately 200 hogs were in1
the two cars which were left so far;
from the yard's stock pens that
R. T. Harding, stock pen attendant,;
and an assistant, had to carry water;
to them. They said they would
care for any other animals that
might be reported stranded some
where within the maze of 110 miles
of tracks of the yard.
Earlier yesterday, the railroad
workers had left two other cars
containing 70 hogs and 22 cattle
near the livestock pens but these
animals were herded outside for
care during the strike.
85 Cars of Bananas.
There were 700 carloads of per
ishable foods and livestock in the
yard, according to George A. Shep
herd, freight agents.
Of these 4 were livestock cars
and 85 cars were loaded with
bananas, ranging from 20,000 to
24,000 pounds per car. The value
of each of the banana cars was
$5,000, according to Mr. Shepherd.
(See POTOMAC YARDS, Page A-5J
New York Stock Exchange
Will Close Tomorrow
By the Associated Press %
NEW YORK, May 24.—The New
York Stock and Curb Exchanges
and many of the Nation's other
major securities markets will sus
pend operations for the abbreviated
Saturday session tomorrow.
Chicago and Philadelphia ex
changes were among the first out
of-town markets to follow the ac
tion of governors of New York’s "big
board.”
Tomorrow would have been the
last Saturday market before the
start of the five-day week scheduled
for the summer months. Saturday
closings will be the rule from June
through September.
1
Former Marines Asked
To Apply for Duty
In Transit Crisis
Navy Authorizes Calling
Any Reserve Officers;
Army Stands By
BULLETIN
Gen. Eisenhower, Army
Chief of Staff, was ordered to
cut short a vacation at Sa
vannah, Ga.. today and leave
for Washington to attend an
emergency conference in con
nection with the rail strike.
The Marine Corps today is
sued an invitation to all honor
ably discharged personnel and to
Its inactive enlisted reservists to
apply for temporary duty in the
transportation crisis, and it was
stated the intention is to order to
active duty any Reserve officer
whose duties might be required.
The Navy authorized all district
commandants to order any reserve
officers in their jurisdictions to ac
tive duty if they found his services
required.
The Army stood by, awaiting any
formal Government request that
might be made for protection or
other services authorized by law.
Both the Army and Navy halted
leaves for nearly all personnel.
The Marine Corps active duty
statement said:
"All Marine Corps personnel who
have been honorably discharged or
discharged under honorable condi
tions and all inactive enlisted Re
servists may volunteer for tempo
rary active duty by reporting to the
(See MILITARY, Page A^T)
Advertising to Be Omitted
The Star regrets that in order to conserve paper,
shipment of which has been stopped by the railroad
strike, it is necessary to omit, commencing tomorrow
and until further notice, all advertising with the ex
ception of Death Notices, Lost and Found, Church
Notices (set solid), brief Theater Notices and Ad
vertising deemed of vital public importance.
A t
Situation 'Dark/ Says
President's Mediator
A fterSeeing Workers
Entire Labor Situation
To Be Discussed Today at
White House Conference
By Joseph A. Fox
. While r presidential mediator worked feverishly, but unsuc
cessfully, today to bring the Nation’s railroad officials and train
men into an agreement for ending the paralyzing strike. President
Truman summoned top cabinet and labor advisers to a 3 p.m,
meeting to canvass “the whole strike situation.”
The mediator, John R. Steelman, left a conference with repre
sentatives of two striking brotherhoods at the Hotel Statler at 1:45
p.m. saying, “The situation looks dark.” He immediatelv entered
a session with the carriers.
Byrd Urges President
To Ask More Power
For Curbing Strikes
Senator Wants Truman
To Make Appeal to
Congress at Once
Senator Byrd, Democrat, of
Virginia told reporters after a
White House visit today that he
had strongly urged President
Truman to appeal to a joint ses
sion of Congress for additional
authority to prevent further
Nation-wide strikes. He added
that the President is considering
the appeal.
Senator Byrd said he had urged
Mr. Truman to go before Congress
"if he needs additional power or any
legislation to punish those who
have been guilty of any infraction
of the laws and to prevent strikes."
He said the President is giving the
matter full consideration.
"My judgment is that if the rail
road strike is not settled today the
President should come before Con
gress tomorrow.” Senator Byrd
added.
“The country is strongly behind
him in any move he may make to
settle this crisis and now is the time
for action."
Favors Immediate Appeal.
Senator Byrd was asked when the
President should go up and replied 1
"The sooner the better.”
"If the strike is not settled today,
he should come up tomorrow, or
even tonight.”
Meanwhile. adoption of the
seldom-used cloture rule to hasten
passage of a labor disputes bill was
strongly indicated as the rail tieup
spurred the Senate on in the con
sideration of a score of proposed
restrictions on unions.
Notice of intention to invoke
cloture was filed by 27 Senators
during a hectic night session, which
brought a test vote of 47 to 30 in
support of the Byrd amendment,
aimed at John L. Lewis’ demand for
a union-controlled welfare fund for
his coal miners. The Byrd amend
ment would require such programs
to be controlled jointly by man*
agement and labor as a trust fund.
When the Senate reconvened at
11 a.m. today, however, there were
more than a score of amendments j
%till be be acted on. and the Byrd
amendment alone had taken 10
days.
Cooling-Off Period.
The pending, question now is the
proposal of Senator Ball. Republi
can, of Minnesota and others for
a mandatory 60-day cooling-off
period whenever a Federal media
tion board undertakes to adjust a
labor dispute.
Under the rules, the cloture peti
tion must be voted on at 1 p.m.
tomorrow, if the bill has not been
passed in the meantime. While |
cloture requires a two-thirds' vote
to be invoked, and usually fails to
muster that much strength, well-in- i
formed persons predicted privately
today that the rarely used rule has
a good chance of adoption in the
present situation.
Some of the Senators who are
strongly in favor of new controls on
labor disputes are, at the same time,
against cloture, but those who think
cloture may carry are believed to be
counting on putting it over without
the votes of these Senators. The
rule requires only two-thirds of
those present and voting.
The House Labor Committee
(See STRIKE CONTROL, Pg. A-4.)
wmte nouse rress secretary
Charles G. Ross said the presi
dential conference would go over
Doth the rail and coal situations.
Summoned to it, in addition to
Mr. Steelman, were Secretary of
State Byrnes, Secretary of
rreasury Vinson, who formerly
headed the Office of War Mobil
zation; Attorney General Clark,
Secretary of War Patterson. Sec
tary of Interior Krug, Secre
tary of Labor Schw'ellenbach,
Acting Secretary of the Navy
John L. Sullivan—in the absence
Df Secretary Forrestal—Recon
version Director John W. Sny
der and ODT Director J. Monroe
Johnson.
Steelman Talks With Leaders.
Mr. Steelman talked with leaders
of the striking trainmen and en
gineers early today and* then met
with representatives of the carriers
at the Statler as negotiations
were resumed after a fruitless ses
sion at the White House yesterday.
While the brotherhoods Nego
tiating Committee held a separate
meeting on the fourth floor of the
hotel, Mr. Steelman talked with the
larrier representatives on the sixth
floor from 11:50 to 12:50 p.m. Then
he met with the union representa
tives.
Mr. Steelman left the White House
for the Statler conference after tell
ing reporters that he had a per
sonal conference with President
Truman Cancels Talk
With Press but Keeps
Cabinet Appointment
President Truman canceled
his weekly news conference
scheduled for 11 am. todav.
Press Secretary Charles G. Ross
said this was necessitated bv
the crowded condition of Mr.
Truman's calendar.
The President naturally would
have been questioned exten
sively about the railroad strike,
and it is believed that he did
not want to discuss this while
negotiations are in progress.
The President held his regu
lar Friday morning cabinet
meeting. Postmaster General
Hannegan told reporters later.
"We discussed strikes and noth
ing but strikes, and we did so
emphatically and intensely."
A. F. Whitney of the trainmen and
Mvanley Johnston of the engineers.
In addition to the two striking
union heads, Mr. Steelman con
:inued, he had been in touch with
representatives of the 18 nonstrik
ing brotherhoods. They were not
in the early morning conferences,
although they had been notified to
‘stand by."
Asked whether he expected the
return of the negotiators to the
White House any time today. Mr.
Steelman said he did not.
"Even if a settlement is reached?”
a reporter asked.
Mr. Steelman replied he saw no
reason for returning to the White
House even in that event.
As the talks were resumed, idle
trains menaced every phase of na
tional existence, threatening the
country's food and fuel supplies and
closing down industry. The tieup
on 384 rail lines was virtually 100
per cent complete.
After long discussion from which
President Truman kept aloof, the
disputing factions left the White
House at 8 o'clock last night—four •
hours after the end of the five
day strike truce had tied trans
portation in a knotr—with little to
say other than to confess the fail
ure of their negotiations, and to an
nounce that another meeting would
be held today.
John J. Pelley. president of the
(See RAILROADS. Page A-3.)
Accident at Los Alamos
Atom Laboratory Reported
Sy the Associated Press
LOS ALAMOS, N. Mex., May 24 —
Tlie Los Alamos atomic bomb lab
oratory last night announced that
"a small number of persons were in
jured. one of them possibly seri
ously" in an accident at the labora
tory Tuesday.
The project security officer said he
could give no details, but that the
accident was neither an explosion
nor a fire.
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