A variety of methods for settling labor disputes has grown up in this country. One of these is known as conciliation. Usually neither party to a labor dispute can see the merits of the other's claims. Oftentimes a third party, either an individual or some government agency, can, by talking with the strikers and then with the employer, remove many of the differences separating them. In other words, the conciliator merely tries to bring the two disputing parties to a mutual understanding of the issues involved. Conciliation implies persuasion, not force. It means investigation, not award.