1.
SCU: President Jimmy Carter speaking in Washington.
1.33


CARTER: "The coal strike is three months old; the country cannot afford to wait any longer Coal supplies have been reduced to a critical level throughout the mid-West. Tens of thousands of people are already out of work because factories have laid off workers to conserve fuel. Power curtailments have reached 50 percent in Indiana, 30 percent in West Virginia, and critical levels in other parts of the mid-West.



(INDISTINCT)...at least a million more Americans would be unemployed if the coal strike continues. My responsibility is to protect the health and safety of the American public, and I intend to do so. I've order the Attorney General, under the Taft-Hartley Act, to prepare for a injunction to require the miners to return to work, and the mine owners to place the mines back into production. I've appointed a Board of Inquiry, and asked it to report back to me as soon as possible, to begin the emergency dispute-settling procedure, under the Taft-Hartley act.



In addition, I've asked the Attorney General and the Governors of the affected States to make certain that the law is obeyed, that violence is prevented, and that lives and property are fully protected."




Initials JS/0210


SATELLITE TELERECORDING original on 2171/78 300ft

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: President Carter announced in Washington on Monday (6 March) the tough legal action he will take to end the nation's record pit stoppage having had his settlement proposals overwhelmingly rejected by the coal miners. The President said the action would be taken under the 30 year old Taft-Hartley Act, which would order the miners back to work for an 80-day cooling off period.