New-York tribune., 1918-02-22
The rice of Coal
By C.. w. Gilbert
N7AsF!NGToN, Feb. 2o.-Asd;.;

cresses IN the government scbea.s
OF coal prices at the mine in the ponr..,ss'e
MIA district have aroused another xtns.N
discussion among members of Conyras. VI
the subject Of fuel administration On
The price jncreas" order issued l..
Administrator Garfield on Februarv * w
certain so-called thin vein" districts " -
Pennsylvania includes mines in clears.,a N
County. The new price for Clearheld ,' c.
ty mouth Of the mine is s305, IT,.
Eve cents IN excess Of the voluntary NJ :
agreement negotiated last June by ssss.
tary Of the Interior Lane and Chairman ~
body OF the Coal Production Committee :.
the Council of National Defence. and -, "
suffered most drastic reputation h. ca e.
retary Of War Baker a few days follos.;a1 ss
its negotiation.
In a statement issued by the Conr,;.,
on Public Information on June % las. ''ee "
following appears in an announcemo.. '"e
The successful negotiation of coal prics "
ductions by Secretary Lane ard Cb.;.. ~
Peabody at the Washington conferencs a'a
mine operators: e'sa
Representatives from various state.
asked 10 quote the minimum price At ru,.
they could furnish coal The Clearse,d =.
trict of Pennsylvania agreed to cut its NJ.
Tor coal as it was loaded from the me-
OF the mine from s525 to So -'a
This and the other price reduction, -,
unfairly agreed to by the operators vo..
commended highly by Chairman Peabody :.
the Coal Production Committee Sccretarv ~,
the Interior Lane and Commissioner Fos.
OF the Federal Trade Commission In ~
dressing the miEc operators Just before u.
close of the conference Secretary Lane s.;s
in part:
you are pioneers in d good move. wi
look back with respect and admiration INN.
those who crossed the hard and stormy =,
watcrless places and picked the richer sno.
beyond. hope that you VIII be looked INN,
not only b. those who succeed YOU in ~,
coal business, but b. the industries of n.
United States, with respect and admiratior
for the manner IN which you have acted >.
this conference.
You have been Up against an extremelT-
odd situation and now you have acted and
met the situation in magnificent fashion.
think you have reason to be proud of vhs,
YOU nave done. fou have sand to the An.
crican people that you are not going to b.
oblivious TO the rights Of those from whom
You sprang. You VIII protect them. Thai
IS the spirit that makes for the success Al
this country. If all of the industries of thI
United States Will make the same effort ther
viii be no question to whether our pcoplI
can mobilize our resources"
While the country was still commcndinI
the coal operators for their patriotic actol
and official Washington, with few cxceptionJ
congratulating Secretary Lane on the success
iui elimination of several months of informal
negotiations with the coal operators. Secrs]
tary of War Baker precipitated himself jn.a
inc situation, 1T IS understood with the COR
sent and approval of the President. and ID
sued statement repudiating the Lane Pea
body agreement with an offensive directnea
which nearly caused the resignation of th,
man who Washington believes should rar
high in the Wilson official family Il M
cause the immediate resignation Of Charms
Peabody from the staff of the Council Of u,
tional Defence, but he later reconsideredfat
the expressed wish Of the President Mr.
Peabody has since served as a special assist,
ant 20 Secretary. Lane in the Department oil
the Interior.
Following is an extract from the Bake
pronunciamento repudiating the Lane-Pes
body agreement, which took the form of !
letter of Instructions TO Waiter s. Clifford
director of the Council Of National Defence
'As you aware, the Federal Trade Con
mission has been directed by the President
ascertain for his information the costs il
volved in coal production. am to som
extent familiar with the progress made
.hc commission. The information have fro -
that and other sources. [ think, justihes II
IN believing that the price Of s. suggested
agreed on as a maximum IS an exorbitau |
unjust and oppressive price"
Following this poignant attack by the See
retary of War on the agreement, termed
magnificent by Secretary Lane and further
Endorsed by Commissioner Fort, the coal cos
expert of the Trace Commission, there eE
sued weeks of depression in the coal trade
with an accompanying loss IN productia, ;.
which has been blamed for much OF the a'
/ shortage the past winter
Now it is being pointed out in Congre- j
sional circles, following a winter OF the grs.
est fuel troubles, the fuel adminisratim
probably acting with fairness to the Goa
trade and certainly with the authorization O
the President, increases the price of coal
the Clearield district, in Pennsylvania, fss |
cents per ton higher than the voluntary pric +
negotiated by Messrs. Lane and Peabod [
! which was characterized by Secretary Bake
as 'eXorbtant, unjust and oppressive"