New-York tribune., 1918-02-28
Senator Declares Garfield
Has Failed Wofully to
Solve Problem
He Would Give Work
To Lane and Peabody
Bureau of Mines Should
Handle Coal Situation,
Speaker Asserts
( ( staff Correspondence

Tho MaSSac achuSettS Senator IeSo"A
monded that the fuel problems con
fronting the government be turned
over TO the Bureau Of Mines to be
Jointly handled by Secretary OF the
interior Franklin X. Lane and Char
man f. s. Peabody of the coal pro
duction committee Of TIE Council of
National Defence.
Senator Lodge charged that the gov
erument had failed Utterly from the
nrst in its attempt to control the
fuel situation. He attacked the re
radiation of the voluntary agreement
negotiated by Secretary Lane and
Chairman Peabody with the coal oper-
ators last June, pointing out that,
though Secretary Baker upset this in
itial step toward maximum production
and moderate fuel prices on the ground
that the IS price agreed upon was
"extortionate," the fuel administra-
;ion since had been compelled to IN
m advance of this figure
Says Production Is Unstimulated
Two fundamental defects in the gov
ornment's control OF the fuel problems
pointed out by the Massachusetts Sen
ator were, first. It's failure to stim-
ulatc maximum production. and, sec
ond. It's serious interference and OBJ
struction of the timc-worn channels
Of fuel distribution, which he declared
was responsible for a good deal of the
fuel troubles in the Northeastern
States during the past few months.
Senator Lodge pointed out. In CON
trast to the bungling of the fuel ad-
ministration, the excellent service
rendered the nation by Herbert G..
Hoover. head of the food administra
ton.
He counsclled, however, that the food
administration would do we'll to limit
its price fixing activities to the mar
'cwest confines dictated by existing alb
normal economical conditions. Price
fixing had been an utter failure in the
matter Of coal, he pointed out.
Government price fixing as a method
q preventing proiiteering also has
proved a failure. Senator Lodge de-
oiared. In the case of coal. he said.
price fixing had only served to curtail
production, while the food administra-
tons price plan for sugar had kept
Western beet sugar from the Eastern
States. and in the meantime retailers
Of coal and sugar had profteered.
"To prevent protiteering by a few"
Inc Massachusetts, Senator explained
"the fundamental error of the Admin
lstration was that policy for all of
fixing prices-decla failure in
both Germany and France-was adopted
LOT;
treasng production"
Garfield Blamed for Crisis
Blame for the coal shortage, Senator
Lodge laid to the fuel admins tration' S
price fixing plan. together with rail
road difficulties, and the closing order
lie described as a complete confession
OF impotence and failure He de-
nounced the fuel administration as an
unnecessary agency" which was com
posed largely of amateurs"
The Senator dealt in q milder man
ner with the food administration, and,
although asserting that fixing the price
OF sugar was 'mistaken policy" and
the sugar famine largely artificial, he
added:
In justice to Mr. Hoover, he made
every effort to get rail distribution
and get Java sugar How much he
and the tangle of priority orders | do
lot know, but | am certain that if he
mad been efficiently aided instead Of
Delng crossed by other commissions
mere could have been no sugar famine
in the Eastern states"
Discussing the procedure of the fuel
administration, Senator Lodge said:
They fixed price which made if
impossible to work many mines,
frightened the producer and tended to
reduce production Not content with
'his, they also set to work to change
the whole system of distribution No
more reckless experiment could have
been better calculated to make rail
road difficulties almost insuperable
At single. blow they partially para
wed all the machinery of distribu-
ton. Only ignorance of economic
laws could be offered as an excuse"
Famine Called Garfields Fault
The result of the fuel administra.
uon's policy was to add to the ALREADY
enormous railroad difficulties bv ere
atlng chaos in distribution and addine
TO all this suspense, alarm and un
certainty due to fixing an arbitrary
price.
THE system adopted by Mr.. Hoove,
had at least the merit of maintaining
production. The system of making
different coal price at each mine wa.
impracticable. Even if they kept price.
down, which is purely guesswork, they
brought coal famine with this nom
nal fixed price"
Declaring that he believed the rail
road problem could have been solved
Senator Lodge continued
But nothing can be more certain
man that the policy of the fuel admin
stratlon, its attempt to substitute {;
i.ew scheme of distribution, its reckless
price fixing, brought on a coal famine
~ country which has more coal than
any IN the world.
what we needed was not shutting
SMn SoMn OF industries. but freight EN-
oSrgo on all railroads. The fuel ad-
Jsnis'fation policy is striking evi-
hv"ee h OF now much harm has been done
tpa,i:aiyzing private interests and un-
an. 'dahlhg TO solve the difficulties by
tevra Duieau- composed largely of anna
m;r;stra.;as was no need of the fuel ad-
exist ;'.sa'a1n' 90 a2' no reason why it should
sm;..i m,s' at all, and the powers bowever
tha;a hi@pIe and patriotic the nurnoses If
msLo poSsessor, have been emnloved ~
- notS; I; d bad situation worse AVA do
tho MY WY put harm. The vital MONT af
road problem" was the rail-
Eth. = BAKER Is Assailed
peabod,r, secretary Lane or Franc;s {
have cS,, senator Lodge said. should
VI the coal situation. An