The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-20
GOVT CONTROL


operated on government account under
the direction of the president and that
all such means of transportation be
operated as unit the owning corpora
ton being paid a just and fair COM
pensation which would cover normal
net profits upkeep and betterments."
One Member Disscnts.
These recommendations are approx
ed by Commissioners Davies, Colver
and Fort. Chairman Harris dissents
to the plan for transportation pool
except as a last resort and suggests
instead: THAT during the war the
president be authorized to order rail
and water transportation agencies to
give preference to shipment of coal,
coke and other commodities in the
order of their Importance to the public
welfare"
An urgent necessity exists for i'm
m ediate LEGISLATION to correct condi-
tions, says the report, because the
usual spring and summer accumula-
ton of coal stocks at points distant
rom producing districts lis not now
taking place. but it must be done dur
ing what remains of the summer UNI
less the country is to face next winter
a most serious and an irreparable sit
uation.''
or soft coal is 40 per cent under the
possible maximum, principally be-
cause of coal car shortage, the report
declares. Consequently the extra large
production of anthracite coal this
sDring one-fourth greater than usual,
has been diverted to industrial mar
kets ordinarily filed by bituminous
coal and coke.
"Anthracite mines have been given
ample car supply" the commission
observes, "by reason of the close cor
porate relation between rail Transport
tation and anthrac cite production"
Bituminous mines however. are
compelled by the car shortage to
operate only part time and many
miners are going into other work
To Fix Stable Retail Prices.
Contributing factors in the disor-
ganization of coal transportation are
the high barge rates from New YORK
to Newport News to Boston and the
practice of lake ships making trips to
the northwest in water ballast rather
than carrying coal.
Discussing the proposed remedy,
the commission says:
"If the producer at each mine were
paid his full cost of production with
allowances for depletion. maintenance,
upkeep and all the usual items, and to
this were added q fixed and uniform
net profit per ton with due regard to
the quality of the coal thus produced
at widely varying costs, coal could be
sold thru the government at an aver
age and uniform price, quality con-
sidered, which would be entirely toll
era BILE to the consuming public and
price much lower than could be fixed
if an effort were made to fix a uni
form price to the producer. 1t would
seem that steady employment, fair
compensation to labor and capital
equitable distribution and stable prices
could be secured.
Operate Railroads as a Unit.
operated as a unit and on government
account could be used to transport
coal and other products by the most
direct route to their point of destina-
ton and the efficiency of the roads
themselves. existing rolling stock and
motive power would be vastly in
creased.
''AH receipts from all rail and wa
ter transportation agencies being
pooled at the hands of the govern
being paid from the common fund,
each individual company should be
paid a just compensation which
might be measured by the average
annual net profit and expenditure for
maintenance and betterments> for the
I five-year period prior to the war.
THE operation both of the mines
and of the transportation agencies
could be carried on by the present
employees and officials and after the
war they could be returned unim-
paired to private operation. The roll
ing stock of railroads operated as
unit could be modified so as to care
for the shifting seasonable demands
| Attention is called to the fact that
| Great Britain, France, Russia and
Germany have found it necessary dur
! ing the war to take over control of
their coal industries in varying de-
grees
| The commission will continue its
= investigation.