Chairman BARDEN. I do not know whether you quite realize the amount of work that would be necessary to write the report on the 3 or 4 weeks' hearings that we have held.

Mr. KELLEY. My idea is that we would decide tomorrow morning how we were going to proceed to read the bill, to offer it for amend

ments.

Chairman BARDEN. Now, let the Chair make this statement. And I make it because I am driven to a point of caution that I never have been driven to before. My position and attitude and my wish and expressed intention is that in the absence of direct action by the committee, the committee proceed with the consideration of the mine safety bill following the finishing of the report on the wage stabilization bill, and if we get half way through that and you want to change your mind again you may do so. But I will say to the gentleman from Pennsylvania now that the Chair will resist any further harnessing of my action in the face of an expressed statement from me. And I do not propose to have any more of it. The Chair has presided, I think, fairly with everybody and has kept his every word. And the gentleman from Pennsylvania cannot insist that the Chair does not keep his word or has not good intentions by writing into a motion that I must follow such and such a schedule after this thing is over, in the face of the statement that I propose to do it.

Mr. KELLEY. As I understand it, Mr. Chairman, you intend following the writing of the report, to immediately follow up on this mineinspection bill?

Chairman BARDEN. Why, of course, it is my intention, and the gentleman knows it, and the gentleman knew it the other day, and the gentleman has been chairman of the subcommittee since February 8. Mr. KELLEY. Well, we have been working on the bill, too.

Chairman BARDEN. I thought the committee was going to give the counsel some kind of instructions as to what we want in the report. Mr. McCONNELL. That was my understanding, also.

Chairman BARDEN. And then this other thing came in and blew it out of the water.

Now, I do not know. I propose only to be a servant of this committee. And I doubt very seriously if counsel would care to take upon himself the responsibility of writing a report on the Wage Stabilization Board that would be acceptable to the whole committee, without some kind of instructions as to what they want in it.

Mr. KEARNS. I would object to counsel doing that.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. Chairman, may we have the unanimous consent considered?

Chairman BARDEN. If you will restate your unanimous consent request, I shall certainly put it.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the committee recess until tomorrow morning for the purpose of the consideration of the writing of the report and recommendations concerning the Wage Stabilization Board as authorized and directed by the Allen resolution.

Chairman BARDEN. Is there any objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?

Mr. BAILEY. Following which the committee will return to the order of business?

21029-52- -15

Mr. McCONNELL. I have not asked that. I have just asked this. We will do that; that is my understanding.

Chairman BARDEN. If that is added to it, I shall object. If you cannot trust my statement, then we will just have it on strict procedure. Mr. BAILEY. I will not insist on the point. Go ahead. Chairman BARDEN. Is there objection?

Mr. WERDEL. There may be objection, because some of us come from districts that are not all coal, and we have some other work to do. I am perfectly willing to abide by the chairman's decision as to what is reasonable as far as time to be spent in our offices is concerned. I would not want to go into this week end, though, without being able to take care of some of the things that have accumulated in my office. I want some time to take care of it.

Chairman BARDEN. As I understand the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. McConnell, he requested unanimous consent that the committee recess until tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, at which time the committee will take up in executive session the consideration of the writing of the report on the hearings held on the Wage Stabilization Board as authorized and directed by the Allen report and recommendations.

Now, that is my understanding of the unanimous consent request. Is there objection?

Then, unless there is objection, the committee will meet tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock in executive session for that purpose.

(Whereupon, at 6:30 p. m., Thursday, June 12, 1952, the hearing was adjourned until 10 a. m., Friday, June 13, 1952, in executive session.)

HEARING

BEFORE A

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H. R. 7408

A BILL TO AMEND PUBLIC LAW 49, SEVENTY-SEVENTH
CONGRESS, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE PREVENTION

OF MAJOR DISASTERS IN COAL MINES

21029

HEARING HELD AT WASHINGTON, D. C.
MAY 2, 1952

Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor

UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1952

CONTENTS

Statements of—

Welsh, Donald G., chief counsel, United States Bureau of Mines;

M. J. Ankenny, Chief, Coal Mine Inspection Branch, United States

Bureau of Mines; Harold J. Sloman, assistant to the Director,

United States Bureau of Mines; Charles Ferguson, acting safety
director, United Mine Workers; Robert E. Howe, international
representative, United Mine Workers; E. D. Schorr, representing
coal operators; and James Hyslop, president, Hanna Coal Co-----

Letters, prepared statements, etc., submitted for the record-

Bramlette, S. A., Fort Smith, Ark..

Progressive Mine Workers of America, statement of objections to

H. R. 7408..

Smith, Henry P., Terre Haute, Ind.

Wolfe, Frank J., Terre Haute, Ind..