Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-04
HOOVER AND REED CLASH
AS INQUIRY NEARS END
Committee Chairman Criticizes Food
Administrators Methods in Wheat
and Sugar Cases.
WOULD SAVE PEOPLE MILLIONS
Ohio Attorncy-Gcneral Tells Probcrs
That People Are Burning Rail
Fences and Fruit Trees, While
Fuel Goes to Northwest
WOULD SAVE PEOPLE MILLIONS

WASHINGTON. January 3.-ESanai-
nation of Food Administrator Hoover
was completed to-day by the Senate
committee investigating the sugar and
coal shortages after Chairman Reed and
Mr.. Hoover had eniivencd the proceed
ings with a clash that had been ex-
pected since the inquiry started.
Yesterday when Hoover took the
stand Senator Reed, critic of the
food administrator since the beginnin.
of his work. yielded the task of qucs-
tioning 10 Senator Lodge. and the cy-
animation progressed very smoothly.
To-day. however. the chairman went
into cross examination himself most
vigorously. lie attacked the policies
Of the food administration. said Hoover
had usurpcd powers in handling the
wheat situation and sought to develop
that sugar price agreements werc made
to benefit Eastern reflners.
l--AIr.'- -HooYer'S replies were as sharp
as the questions. The wheat situation.
he said, was handled with the approval
OF President Wilson. and tho farmers
now were getting more for their wheat.
while -four was selling for less. He
! warmly denied all of the chairman's
charges, and said the food administra-
tion would save the people on sugar
alone between three and five million
dollars in the year beginning October l.
Senator Jones. OF New Mexico.
questioning the witness about support
siven tho food ADMINISTRATION by the
country, drew a ripple of applause from
spectators in the committee room by n
| brusquc rctort when Chairman Reed in
tcrruptcd
| When Mr.. Hoover left the stand the
committee heard a statement on the
coal situation in Ohio by Joseph Nc
Ghec. Attorncy-Gencral Of that state.
| The people are still suffering for want
! OF coal, he said. adding that he thought
the situation would improve under gov
crnmcnt operation of railroads.
! Ntc,;hce said that Ohio people are
| burning their fence rails and pickcts
and cutting down fruit trees because
they were told last September by Fuel
dminstrator Garfield to rely on his
lima gnary coal pile
Testifyins before the Senate Manu-
facturcs subcommittee to-day, Attor-
ncy-Gencral McGhcc said he came to
Washington last September and told
DR.. Garfield that a fuel famine was
impending. lie declared he explained
tho mines were running below ca
pacity production, that most Of the
coal was going to tho Northwest. that
the factories had their coal under con-
tract from last spring, and that the
domestic consumers could not procure
coal for the winter DR.. Garfield then
described his .imaGinary coal pile"
plan. and asked him to be patient un-
Ill the coal needed by tho Northwest
could be shipped.
McGhco then described correspond
encc with tho fuel administrator last
inc through two months, which failed
to get coal for Ohio's domestic con-
sumers. Finally. because public u,il-
ity companies were also affected, and
| there WAS no prospect Of relief the
State authorities commandecred coal on
the railroads. There were then about
! 10000 carloads on sdinEs. McGhce
said. getting nowhere. lie cited one
instance where four carloads on a
trip Of thirty miles stood on r siding
| midway between minc and consumer
| from April to December.
Tomorrow the committee will re-
turn TO tho sugar inquiry and hear
Frank c. Lowery. secretary OF the
Federal Refining Company