What? No Slapstick?

As president since 1938 of U.S. Steel Corp.'s two coal-mining subsidiaries, Harry M. Moses has had many a scrap over the bargaining table with John L. Lewis. Last week 53-year-old Harry Moses resigned as president of the companies, to devote his full time to the bargaining battle.

Moses will head the new Bituminous Coal Operators' Association, which represents 22 operators who produce about 34% of the nation's coal. Purpose: to present a solid front and "bring order and dignity into the labor relations of the industry." Moses will try, he said, to remove coal negotiations (not due again until next June) "from the area of slapstick and low comedy."

Considering that one of the greatest low comedians--not to say ham tragedians--would be sitting on the other side of the table, this was quite an order. But if anybody could bring it off, Moses was probably the man. An old hand in the coal pits himself, he has been a friend of Lewis (away from the bargaining table) ever since he first knew him as a boy in Lucas, Iowa.

To replace the late Harvey D. Gibson as president of the Manufacturers Trust Co., directors chose big, white-thatched Henry C. von Elm, 62, longtime banker and chairman of Manufacturers since 1947. Von Elm, who has charmed even the most ornery stockholders by his suave conduct of the bank's annual meetings, was succeeded as chairman by Horace C. Flanigan, 59, who moved up from vice chairman.

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