The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-08-27


Pritc~ Within Erasou-- Govern
meut viii Take over Mines. if
Necessary.
Washington, Aug. n Harry y
Garfield, the Government new fuel
administrator. into whose hands the
President hIa placed an industry rep
resent ing more than Il billion dollars
in wealth. let it be clearly understood
today that he means business ana
that he will go into the control OF
the coal and coke supply it'll a firm
hand
He is convinced that The American
people have been held up for years
by certain coal operators and that
excessive prices have been charged
for fuel. 1t is his purpose to afford
the country relief, if il can be done.
and he is quite certain that it can.
This is the state of mind Of Dr..
Garfield as he enters upon JOB as
important, in many respects, as that
cOnlided TO Herbert Hoover. As he
goes along. the coal administrator
may find enlightenment in many di-
rectiUns. He may find that not all
coal producers are highWaymen, and
that not all coal distributors are
"secoud-StOry" men. Meantime now
ever, they all look about alike to
him, and he is undertaking his end
of the war program with militant
determination to get quick and whole
some results.
Laying aside today for few min
utes the work of fixing the basic
price for this years wheat crop, Mr..
Garfield discussed briefly, but point
edly, the new task of administering
governmental control Of the coal in
dustry, saying:
I am going to see TO it that all
the power the law has placed in my
hands is exercised to enforce the coal
prices decreed by the President and
that these prices shall be so controll-
ed that the American consumer will
get the benefit.
Retail prices of both bituminous
and anthracite coal Will be rigidIy
controlled, as we'll as the wholesale
and mine prices. By that l mean that
something will be done and done
soon to determine the margin of
profit which retailers may charge in
serving the public.
The Government Will not allow
itself to be defeated in this great
movement by men setting up Spuri-
Gus or questionable coal contracts in
an effort to avoid the new price scale.
No unjustifable contracts are gong
to get by. In my capacity as coal
administrator | intend to scrutinize
all contracts with the greatest care.
If | find anybody trying to put
over big contracts for the purpose of
dodging new price l am going after
him and going after him hard. This
is no time TO tempofize, and the law
was not passed for tempo:izing pur-
poses.
The next step in the coal control
plan Will be the drafting OF regula
tions to govern the issuance of Iicen-
ses 70 operators and dealers. 1t may
be necessary to extend the license
system to retailers. We haven't
reached that point yet. But certain
ly the license system for operators
and jobbers will be necessary.
L am going TO study every phase
of the law just as soon as possible,
and when l get through with the
wheat price fixing l Will be ready to
put into effect anything that may be
necessary to enforce the Presidents s
DEGREES.
IF anybody, be he operator, deal
er or consumer. has any complaints
about coal, the place to address him
self from now on it right here. Send
the kicks to the Coal Administrator,
in Washington.
Another thing that occurs to me
is the ridiculously long hauls that are
sometimes resorted to in the coal
business. The practice of sending In
diana coal to New England and New
England coal to Indiana, it strikes
me. ought to be stopped. The actua.
work of remedying such evils prob
ably will fall upon the Priority
Board and its administrator, Judge
Lovett, but the Coal Administrator
probably can help him OUT
Mr.. Garfield is expected to take up
his new duties actively within few
days. He will complete tn ewheat-
price job perhaps next week, when
he will organize his staff for the pur-
pose of exercising the control over
the coal industry which the Presi-
dent has delegated to him.
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