New Britain herald., 1918-02-27
Massachusetts (. 0. P. Spokes-
 man Calls PriCe-Fizing a Failure FUEL BUREAU AMATEURISH
Some Virtue in Hoover's system. He AdmitS-Denies Patriotism Should Be Measured By Complete Support Of Administration.

Washington, Feb. Reinforcement l price-fXing as a method of prevent ing profiteering has proved a failure, l Senator Lodge of Massachusetts de- clared today in giving the senate the conclusions he had drawn from the recent investigations of the coal and sugar shortages. In the case of coal, 1 he said. price-tixing had only served 1 to curtail production while the food 1 administration price plan for sugar i had kept western beet sugar from the
 eastern states and in the meantime | retailers of coal and sugar had prof l iteered.
 1 ITO prevent profiteering by a few" | the senator explained. the funda- | mental error of the administration | was that @ policy for all of fixing
 prices-declared a failure in both ] Germany and F'rance--was adopted, | instead of one of stimulating and 2in- creasing production"
 Criticizcs Dr. Garfield. Blame for the coal shortage Scna- tor Lodge laid to the fuel administra- tion's price fixing plan together with railroad difficulties and the closing order he described as a 'compIete confession of impotence and failure" He denounced the fuel administration Fas an unnecessary agency'' which was "composcd largely of amateurs '"The result of the fuel administra- tion's policy, he said, twas to add to the already enormous railroad diff culties by creating chaos in distri-
 button and adding to all this suspense alarm and uncertainty due to fixing
 an arbitrary price.
 ''The system adopted by Mr Hoov-
 CT had at least the merit of main
 taining production. The system of making A different coal price at each mine was impra cticable. Even if they kept prices down. which is purely guesswork they brought a coal fam inc with this nominal fixed price," Declaring he did not believe the railroad problem could not have been solved, Senator Lodge continued: "But nothing can be more certain than that the policy of the fuel ad- ministration, it's attempt to substitute a new scheme of distribution it's reck- less price fixing, brought on coal famine in a country which has more coal than any in the world. "What we needed was not q shut ting down of industries; a freight embargo on all roads (the fuel ad- minstration policy) is a striking eV1-
 dcnce of how much harm has been done by paralyzing private interests
 and undertaking to solve the dlffI- cuties by one bureau composed largely of amateurs.
 No Need of Fuel Administration.
 "There was no need of the fuel ad-
 ministration, no reason why 1t should
 exist at all. It's powers however, am-
 fable and patriotic the purposes of their possessor. have been employed 10 make a bad situation worse and do nothing but harm. Tine vital point of the whole coal situation was the railroad problem
 Either Secretary Lane or Francis $. Peabody, the senator said, should have charge of the coal situation. An- nulment by Secretary Baker of the agreement MT. Lane brought about at a conference of operator dealers and consumers was criticized by the sen- ator. He also denounced conferrlng of vast powers upon state fuel ad- ministrators.
 So far I can learn.' said MT. Lodge, ''the only qualification of these gentlemen is that they should De democrats.
 "Senator Lodge also warned the senate against official interference with what some government bureaus may decide to be a non-essential in- dustry. Neither. he said, in conclusion should those who criticize govern ment affairs be charged with being friends of Germany.
 "I think it will be wise to omit at tacks on patriotism of men merely