Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-30
ut low ebb and . fuel famine VI
. certainty.

famine DR.. Garfield reached point in
his study of the coal situation at which
he discovered the major factor is sup
ply and the secondary one is price. This
he announced before senatorial COM
mittee, but when he executed his
about-face he found himself in the
midst of the season. when demand for
fuel is at its, height. The railroads
were unable to transport coal or even
to supply cars with SUFFICIENT rapidly
to keep the mines In continuous oper
alton. Then came the coalless days.
In the meantime, however, DR.. Gar
field had assembled small army of
clerks and statisticians, who obtained
all sorts Of figures on the coal produc-
ing and marketing industry. He had
issued schedules of prices and revised
them from time to time. He had es.
tablished selling prices for coal which,
while higher than those prevailing be-
fore the war, are far lower than would
have been possible II government SUI
pervision had not .nullified for time
the age-old law Of supply and demand
These prices have been attacked by
such men as Clifford Thorne,, in the
name of the public. AS matter of
fact, Mr.. Thorne did not represent the
public at any moment during his hectic
\ agitation of the coal question. He rep
resented certain large industriea which
buy coal in Wholesale quantities and
! which desired to continue the priv
leges they had enjoyed. together with
the nations railroads, of purchasing
coal at prices which approximated the
cost of production.
But Mr.. Thorne induced Governor
Harding to join with him. The COVER
nor knew little about coal, He did not
| investigate Mr.. SThorne's assertions.
( Even when Ne was warned that he was
to the public he ignored the warnings
and continued to play the game OF Mr..
Thorne and the latter's employers.
blind to the fact, which no one at
tempts to deny now, that these big In
dustries had forced the general public
for decades to pay a large share OF
their coal bills.
Throughout most Of last fall and
winter Governor Harding inveighed
against the high coal prices, demanded
reductions and even promised them.
His attacks on the coal operators OF
Iowa were bitter and repeated.
Coached by Thorne and others whose
interests were identical with Thorne's.
Governor Harding succeeded In i'm
pressing Iowa people, or many. Of them,
with the thought that they were the
victims Of coal profiteers, thst the ma
| tional fuel administration was permit
ting them to be exploited by tho coal
| operators and that he,s the governor.
would force . reduction Of coal prices
sooner or later.
| Except IN minor instances there
have been no reductions. Those which
have been made have been more than
balanced by increases. And now Gov.
ernor Harding, like Adm1nistratof
Garfield, is urging the public to buy
coal at prevailing prices But the
| feeling remains, not only among opal
users but among some retail dealers,
that the prices are unreasonably high
| that reduction is certain to be made
and that the interests Of the coal oper'
ators instead of the interests - the
public are to be served by early coal
buying.
The recent decision by Presidsnt
Wilson, UNFOLDING Dr.. GARFIELD in his
contention that the railroads must pay
the same price the public pays fol
coel. has increased this feeling Of a.
surance. 1t Is said that the presidenfs
| n ~ Cd MN
900 IN q year. That portion OF the pub
Tic which has been misled by price DIS
| cussions Is expecting reductions which
viii cut that 5000, 900 melon and dis.
tribute It among the millions Of coal
users throughout America.
The fact which these pseDops over
look is that DR.. Garfield. when he hxed
his schedule Of prices, proceeded Oh
the assumption that as soon - the eI
listing contracts with railroads and 9th
er preferred industries expired, most
Of them on April I, the same prcea
would prevail Tor all. The margin Of
profit he allowed the coal industry was
based on the assumption that the
prices would be universal. In Other
words, he figured out tho ~, 0oo, 0ot
i when he made his schedules; there
fore he is not IN . position to deduct
it again.
The Courier does not know whether
his figures are accurate; We do not
know whether his price schedules give
the coal operators an excessive profit
We do not know whether the ohScial
prices could be reduced without injur
ing the coal industry financially.
But we do know that any reduction
which could be made would be slight
one as far as the individual ccal con
sumner is concerned. The avsragl
houssholder's share Of the $4,000, O0(
over which the railroad administration
IL complaining 50 Justify woult
amount, perhaps. to . or a year
based on the average householder
use Of fifteen or twenty tons Of soft
coal annually.
And we know this IL . negligible
item a. compared with the doctors
bills and other expense which woulf