Arizona republican., 1917-06-27
'fiAa|R RATE
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 PROMISED
CRepubIican A. p. Leased wirel

WASHINGTON, June 26-Four hun dred coal operators representing the great fields of both bituminous and anthracite pledged themselves here to- day to sell their product at a fair and reasonable price to be fixed, with the approval of the defense councils coal committee, by special committees of seven producers from each coal mining state.
 These special committees also are authorized to confer with the defense councils committee to the end that production be stimulated and plans be perfected to provide adequate means of distribution.
 The operators action is the result of an all day conference which opened with addresses py Secretaries Lane and Daniels. John T. Fort of the federal trade commission. and Assistant At torney General Lewis, all of whom frankly warned the producers that un- less they established a fair selling price and proper regulation of the in dustry, their output would be taken
 
 The meeting was called by the de- fense councils committee for discus sion of methods of reducing the price of coal both 10 the government and the general public. While it was in progress the senate interstate com merce committee, beginning aninquiry into the cost of production of raw ma terials, was holding it's first hearing with coal operators and miners as wit nesSeS
 Both at the operators meeting and before the committee the solution of the greater production problem was declared to be more railroad cars. Car shortage was blamed for restricting the output of mines everywhere.
 Sessions of the operators will be continued tomorrow. One of the things to be considered is a motion declarine
 that ii is the sense of this meeting that they earnestly request every oper- ator in the United States to join q coal operators association of his state and ir such state where there is no such association O take immediate steps to organize one. so. that reliable and ac- curate information regarding the coal ir dustry can be furnished the govern ment whenever called for"
 Representatives of each coal nroduc- ing state held meetings tonight to choose committees in accordance with ! the resolutions adopted and will report tomorrow.
 James Lewis of Springfield Ill., rep resenting the United Mine Workers of America. told the senate committee the [ miners union did not believe that the time had come for the government tc take control of the coal industry. He . said the miners believe questions of wages and working conditions can best be worked b. representatives of the miners and operatives rather than through the government arbitrarily flying wages and other conditions
 Harry x. Taylor of Kansas City. representing coal operators in Iowa, Missouri. Kansas. Arkansas and Wy oming. said statistics indicate the pro- | duction for June throughout the coun- l try will he ahout 10 or F million tons more than a year ago
 MT. Taylor did not think the time | had come for fixing prices as no unwil- : lineness has been shown hy the oper- ators to cooperate with the govern ment In discussing the profits which i operators should make on coal Sena- 1 tor CumminS pointed out that the gov ernment regulates railroad rates Yes and if the government had per mitted the railroads to make more money some years ago so they could I have invested more in equipment. ev- erybody would have plenty of coal and the present situation would not ex- ist,' replied Mir Taylor.