The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-11
FRANK JRUN1U[L SAYS
THRt[-YtAR PLAN OF
COMPENSATION UNFAIR
Says 1918 Should BE Excluded In Ar.
rfving at Sum TO be Paid Rail-
roads by Government
OBJECTS TO SECTION
THIRTEEN OF MEASURE
Declares Provision That Roads Shall
Not BE Turned Back 20 Owners Un-
til Congress So Directs Ii Seriously
Objectionable Feature.

Washington, Jan. 1e.-CSitics OF the
administration held the spotlight to-
day in the ssnats's coal. shipping and
Investigations. Railroad men
kept up their Are on the railroad COM
pensation plan. while New York city
coal dealers attacked the fuel admins
tration.
Frank TrumbuTI. chairman of the
railroad executives advisory commit
tee and chairman of the board OF d.
rsctors of the Chesapeake and Ohio
testimony before the senate inter-
state commerce committee, objected
strongly to the governments three
year average earnings plan as unfair
to the roads. The year 1915 should
by ell means be excluded, he declared.
and the government should make some
recompense to the roads for money
invested in the railroad properties
since the end of the fiscal year 1917.
He asked also that the administra-
ton eliminate section ID OF the bill.
which provides that the roads shall
not be returned to their owners until
congress shall have so ordered
This section 10 extremely likely TO
create a deep feeling OF uncertainty.
Trumbuii declared. adding that this
feeling would damage the roads heaV~
lily In several ways. He continued
that, while he felt government control
was Inevitable. no was opposed to gov
ernment ownership. The country
should preserve to the people the
rights and benefits of private owner
ship, Trumhull said.
Not Possible to Satisfy All.
When asked whether he had any
plan OF compensation or whether the
roads as a group could suggest any
plan that would be universally salts
fa ctory, Trumbull said he knew OF no
such plan. He admitted he did not
believe 1t possible TO satisfy all ths
roads
w. A. Marshall. e c. Harris and
T~baron n. willard, New York coal
men, representing varied interests. all
declared before the senate nnanufac-
turers' subcommittee that the fuel ad-
ministration has failed
New York city ie getting along
with only 10 par cent OF normal coal
supply, Harris declared. Price TX
ing by the fuel administration has re-
suited disastrously In two ways. he
said. The prices fxed are 30 low that
millions of tons of coal go into Can
ada and to other markets whore high
prices are ontainabie, Harris charged.
He added that the same low prices
caused many mines TO shut down be-
cause they could not operate at
profc Marshall repeated these two
statements.
Crf.tciscs Fuei Administrator.
willard said that since the fuel ad-
ministration took charge of coal. the
port of New York has become so con-
wested that ships have laid idle for
days and weeks. waiting for coal IT
was sometimes necessary. he said. to
have ships put out with only enough
coal to run them to Norfolk, Boston.
Charleston or some other port where
coal could be obtained TO run the YES
sells to their European destinations
Ships carrying war supplies were
sometimes delayed in this manner, he
safd.
Declarations that the government
turned him down on q proved meth
cd TO save money on steel and ex-
pedlte it's manufacture, was made be-
fore the senate commerce commit
tee. by Colonel l. p. Featherstone. of
Texas,
II consisted Of utilizing iron ore
deposits In eastern Texas.
BY bringing coal to Beaumont from
the Alabama fields by water and
shipping other materials needed also
by water. steel manufacture could be
cut to two-thiras the present cost.
Featherstone asserted.
He said he demonstrated to the
council OF national defense, Texas
could produce pig iron and steel $40
a ton cheaper than does Pennsylvania
II was impossible for him to get
recognition. he concluded.
Senator johnson, Of California.
questioned Colonel Featherstone close
~ to see whether his plan was FEAST
bic, and then to learn whether any
specific bureau or man was RESPONSE
bic for turning doyn the project.
Featherstone refused to lodge n spe-
cific complaint.