The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-20
COAL SHORTAGE RETARDS TIE NATIONS INDUSTRIES: q. s. GOVERNMENT WILL ACT

Failure of Transportation
 Holds Up Fuel Produc-
 tion, Which, in Turn,
 Cripples Manufacturing
 All Over the Country,
 Declares Federal Trade
 Commission in Recom-
 mending to Congress Gov
 ernment Control of Mines,
 and Rail and Water Trans
 .portation.
 Washington. June 2O-Gov- ernment pools of coal produc- tion and distribution and of rail and water transportation were recommended to Congress today by the federal trade com mission as the only means of avoiding disastrous coal shortage next winter. :.
 ''The commission believes says the report, ''that the coal industry is paralyzing the in dustries of the country, and that the coal industry itself is paralyzed by the failure of transportation There are enough cars in the country, but not enough are delivered to the mines, and these cars are not moved to the point of consump- tion with the greatest expedi- tion nor are they promptly dis charged"
 in view of these conditions the commission recommends:
 First, that the production and dis tribution of coal and coke be conduct- ed through pool in the hands. of a government agency; that the produc- CTS or various grades of fuel be paid their full cost of production plus a uniform profit per ton {with due al- lowance for quality of product and efficiency of service): and
 Second. that the transportation agencies of the United States. both rail and water, be similarly pooled and operated on government account. under the. direction of the president, and that all lesuchameans of transpor- Efation be operated as sssunit, the cor- trolling corporations being paid "a just and fair compensation which would cover normal net profit, up- keep and better1nents.''
 These recommendations are ap- proved by Commissioners Davies, Colver and Fort. Chairman Harris dissents on the plan for a transporta- ton pool, except as last resort, and suggests instead that during the war the president be authorized to order rail and water transportation agen- ctes 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 inn mediate legislation to correct condi- tions, says the report, because the usual spring and summer accumula- ton of coal stocks at points distant from producing districts ''is mot now takinM place."
 Present production of ssoft,' coal I maximum, principally because of coal car shortage. the report de- clares.
 Contributing factors in the disor- ganization of coal transportation are the high barge rates from New York and Newport News to Boston, and the practice of lake ships to make trips to the northwest in water bal. last rather than carry 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 a fixed and uniform net profit per ton, with due regard to quality, the coal thus produced. at 1 widely varying costs, if pooled could be sold through the government at an average and uniform, price. quality considered, which would be entirely tolerable to the consuming public. ''The railroads of the country, if operated as a unit and on government account could be used to transport coal and other products by2the most direct route to their point of destina- tien, and the efficiency of the roads themselves existing rolling stock and motive poweg would be vastly increas- ed.
 "Al1 receipts from all rail and water transportation agencies being pooled in the hands of the government. and all expense of operation being paid from the common fund, each individ- ual company should be paid just compensation which might be meas ured by the average annual net profit and expenditure form aintenance and betterments for the fve-year period prior to the war.s
 seThe operation both of the mines and of the transportation agencies could be carried on by the present eIl1- ployes and officials, and after the war they could be returned unimpaired | to private operation.
 The commission will continue It's