The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-02-27
REED BLAMES
DR.. GARFIELD
Senator Says He Was Re-
sponsible for the Coal
Shortage
TOOK INDUSTRY
OUT OF THE HANDS
OF Those Who Knew About
1t and Gave Control to
Those Who Didn't

Washington, Feb. 81 Responsibility
for the coal shortage was placed squared
ON the fuel administration by Senate
Reed of Missouri yesterday, in state
ment OF facts" submitted to the Scnat
subcommittee on manufactures as a ba
sis for a report of its recent nvestiga
tion Of the fuel situation. The state
ment was not the report of the sub
committee which Investigated the fooC
and fuel administrations, but state
ment of individual conclusions.
"The chaos now existing in the Goa
business" the statement said, must give
place to stability or we shall in the near
future be confronted by coal shortage
of the most disastrous character For
this reason there should be an immediate
announcement of prices and contracts TO
replace present coal contracts, practically
all of which terminate April ].
The statement also advocated an
nouncement of fixed time in which the
business world might safely adjust it.
self to the new contracts, and added:
ut is plain that the prices allowed to
be charged must be reasonably remunera
tive. If this is denied, the maximum
of production cannot be expected
Senator Reed declared the recent fuel
order closing industries east of the Mis-
sissippi river was issued by the fuel ad-
ministration without warrant or au-
thority of law" in order to "extricate it.
self from its self created dilemma He
argued that there was no excuse for such
a condition, as the government on Aug.
10 had taken over the control of coal
with authority to commander mines and
ample powers to meet any emergency.
The trans Atlantic shipping tie-up, as
far as was due to lack of bunker coal,
also was blamed to the fuel administra-
ton by the Missouri senator. His state
ment asserted that the entire business
machinery for bunkering ships, built up
by practical experts, not theorists or
dreamers, had been put out of commits
sion or completely subordinated to the
fuel administration, so that it could be
fairly said that the fuel administration
was substituted for the machinery there
tofore existing"
To add to the confusion, the statement |
said, the prices fixed by the Lane com
mittee were Swept aside by the fuel
administration" and this mistake was
finally discovered and admitted by DIR.
Garfield A multiplicity of priority or
ders had resulted in tying up thousands
of freight cars and in creating embargoes
in many of the great terminal yards of
the country.
Il submit that no great business, con-
tinued the statement, "can prosper UNI
ess the conditions under which it is to
ne conducted are reasonably stable.
What coal producer can be expected to
axpend large sums OF money to increase
The output of his mine when be is in
formed in advance that the prices he
will in the future be allowed to charge
are subject to change at any moment
BY individuals over whom he has no pos
,ible control, and who may either be in
formed or uninformed On coal costs or
conditions?
1T also seems too clear for dispute
be reduced to n minimum; that expert
AID guess work concerning a
,reat fundamental business ought to be
'educed TO minimum; that experiment
alton and guess work concerning great
fundamental business upon which all
,ther business to large extent depends
,ught to cease. Obviously this great I
business ought not to be
vrested from experienced hands and tax
n over by those who, however good
heir intentions, are utterly lacking in
hat knowledge essential to its success
ul conduct"