Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-01
Mr.. rHoRNE's ENCORE.


News dispatches from Washington
yesterday announced that Chhord
rhorne would be called before the
nnate's committee investigating the
nal situation. 1t was rather use
nss burdening of the telegraph wires
d add that he was expected to glve
Exhaustive statistics on coal conol-
IONS"
He has been airing those statistics
4 every opportunity for several
months. notably at the Investigation
rhich he and Governor Harding con-
mcted recently in Des MONIES WIN
he assistance of three Iowa mayors.
hev move conclusively that for many
nars before the war railroads ana
mhiic utilities obtained their coal at
Fices approdmating the COST OF pro
motion, while private coal consumers
vere compelled to pay prices whcn
helded the operators pront not oIny
4 the coal they themselves used nut
a the vastly greater amount Whcn
rent to railroads and public utilities.
But Mr., Thorne, formerly stickier
or accuracy, blithely ignores inns
pint and reads his statistics III such
manner as to leave with the unin.
pinned listener the impression tnat
mt price schedules fixed by the presi-
ient and the fuel administrator are
n In advance Of former prices. AS
/, matter Of fact they are higher tnan
ne nrefered coal consumers-the
.ilroads and public utilities-pald IN
nrmer years, but they are lower, an
hinra considered, than the private
rnsnmer has been accustomed 10
nvine. They compel the former pre-
srred coal consumers to pay price
rhich includes at least FAIR pront
n the coal they use, thus relieving
10 nr,vate consumer of paying that
roft in addition to the proht Oh MS
Mn coal.
~ 1,horne quotes his figures In an
htaek ON government control OF the
III industry as it relates to prices.
n insists that the fuel adminlstra-
IonH price schedules are enrlcnlng
ha coal operators in Iowa anu
throughout the country.
There is little question but he Will
sake this assertion before the senate
.nmmittee. He is using the reputa-
ian which he won and deserves as an
mafvst of railroad freight rates to
Nm him a hearing in an attack on a
vntem which although far rom per
~ has done "a big service to the
,riv.te coal consumers Of the coun-
this winter. II the government
I, ed not established maximum pr1ces
or coal this year and arranged 1or us
nstribution, there is every reason 70
elteye that prices would nave
Mounted to $40 ton or more anu
hat even this figure would not have
n1ved the coal shortage resulting
enrn the abnormal demand ana tne
gamble for coal in which private
consumers, industrial plants, foreign
nnntries and Americas railroads ana
u,hIic utilities would have been IN
lolved.
II ia folly to attempt to discredit
his system, though 1t has oeen lar
rom perfect. Administrator Gar
leld.s experience is tending TO lnol-
- that he approached the SUBJECT
rom the wrong side when ne gave
naior attention to the question OF
Nee and relegated to second place
- more important question OF pro-
notion and distribution. The re-
o9se was true Of the arrangement on
jAieh the coal operators OF the coun-
- agreed and which was known as
he Peabody-Lane plan This contem'
Hated q higher price schedule than
rs fred later by President Wilson,
mt It assured q maximum productlon.
h vas unset unceremoniously when
secretary Baker issued his famous de-
lunciation.
Now DR.. Garfield tells the senate
committee he has learned that pro.
luction is OF first importance ana
hat he gives the operator the benent
Il the doubt when complaint is made
nat a price is too low to permit a
proper profit.
An indication that this is true
.omes from Des Moines, where deal
.rs. consumers and the local and state
mel administrators have been quar-
,eling for weeks over the order re-
lucing the retail price for Iowa coal
rom $3.50 to $5.15. An appeal to Ad-
ninistrator Garfield by the coal in
Ierests brought an order from him
yesterday declaring that the proper
nice shall be, not $3.50, but $5.75.
This announcement brings to mind
ne confident announcement by Gov
srnor Harding at the close Of the hear
mg which he and Mr.. Thorne con-
lucted at Des Moines. After filing a
long telegram to DR.. Garfield the gov
.rnor announced that without any
suestion a marked decrease in Iowa
soal prices would be the Immediate
result. That was several weeks ago,
md the only revisions that have been
made have been upward.
Perhaps MT. Thorne will find SYM
athletic audience when he appears
STORE the, senate committee. Dis
patches yesterday quoted Senator
Reed a saying he had found soft coal
,allin9 in Iowa at $12 a ton when he
,isited the state during the holiday
49,. Such q statement II in fact