New-York tribune., 1918-02-27
Disastrous Fuel Famine
Threatens Nation, Says
Missouri Senator
He Fears for Future
Immediate Replacement of
Present Contracts and Prices
Necessary, He Asserts

WASHINGTON. Feb. 26.--Responsi-
bility for the coal shortage was placed
squarely on the fuel administration by
Senator Reed of Missouri to-day. in
Statement OF facts" submitted to
the Senate Sub Committee on Manu-
features as a basis for report of its
recent Investigation of the fuel situa-
tion.
Senator Reeds statement was not the
report of the Subcommittee which ia
vestgated the food and fuel admins
trations, but q statement OF his in
dividual conclusions.
"The chaos existing in the coal busi-
rcss,' his statement said, "must give
place to stability or we Will in the near
future be confronted by a coal snort
age of the most disastrous character.'
For this reason, Senator Reed said.
there should be an immediate an
nouncement Of prices and contracts
which will be allowed to replace pres
ent coal contracts. practically all of
which terminate April /.
Prices Must Be RelnuneratlIe
The statement also advocates the
announcement. Of fixed time in which
the business world may safely adjust
Itself to the new contracts, and adds:
at is plain that the prices allowed
to be charged must be reasonably re-
muneratve If this is denied, the
maximum Of production cannot be eX-
pected"
Senator Reed declared the recent or
der closing industries cast Of the Mis-
sissippi River was issued by the fuel
administration "wlthout warrant OF au-
thority Of law" in order to "extricate
itself from its self-crcatcd dilemma
lie made it plain there was no excuse
1ors such :. condition, as the govern
ment. on August 10, had taken over
the control of coal, with authority to
commander MINES, and had ample
powers % meet any emergency.
The transatlantic shipping tie-up, as
far as was due 20 lack Of bunker coal.
also was blamed on the fuel admins
tration by Senator Feed. His state
ment asserted that the entire busi-
ness machinery for bunkering ships,
built up by practical experts.
not theorists or dreamers, had
been put out of ommissiCn or com
pletely subordinated to the fuel ad
ministration, so that it can be fairly
said that the fuel administration was
substituted FOR The machinery thereto
fore existing"
Blames Priority Orders
To add TO the confusion the state
ment said that prices fixed by the Lane
committee were "swept aside By the
fuel administration and this mistake
was finally discovered and admitted by
Or. Garfield Senator Reed also showed
how the multiplicity of priority orders
resulted in tying up thousands OF
freight cars and in creating embargoes
in many of the great terminal yards of
the country.
"I submit that no great business"
continued the statement. "can prosper
unless the conditions under which it
Is to be conducted are reasonably
stable.
at also seems too clear for dispute
that restrictions upon business ought
to be reduced 10 a minimum; that ex-
Instrumentation and guesswork concern
inr a great fundamental business upon
which all other business to a large
extent depends ought to cease. Obvi-
ouslv this great fundamental business
ought not TO be wrested from expert
enced hands and taken over by those
who, however good their Intentions