The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-07
SHORTAGES
OF COAL ARE
EXPLAINED
Official Says No New Laws
Are Needed Except
Against Strikes.

Against Strikes.
In this the third of . series of
articles and interviews by leaders in
business. labor and industry on leg
is.ation which congress should enact.
}. d. A. Morrow, vice president of the
National Coal Association. tells the
views Of the coal men. He believes
that congress should not pass more
laws TO regulate the industry.
BY J. d. A. MORROW,
Vice President The National Coal
Association.
Written for the United Press.
Copyright, 1920, by the United
Press.
Washington, Dec. IL notice
some talk OF need of legislation fol
the regulation of the coal industry
This is surprising and proceeds.
am sure. from failure to understand
what legislation is now available
for the protection of the public
against interference with the suffi-
cheney of coal supply for the nation
There are some ten thousand s0f,
coal mines open anu shipping coal
These mines are fully equipped
with Underground haulage ways
ven .ilating systems, mechanical
equipment and employes, SO tha
they can produce some 100000, ,0Ut
tons yearly of bltuminous coal
This is 80 per cent more coal thar
the country usually needs.
With 1000 producers operating
10000 mines in rs different states
it Is nonsense to talk about combi
nations among bituminous Goa
producers to resist production OF
put up prices. There are thou
sands of acres of coal deposits ad'
jacent to railways which can 81
opened at any time that the oper
market offers opportunity for profit
During the past var on one rail
road more tnan one thousand new
mines were opened. There can bt
no successful combination among
producers for the restriction Of pro
duction under such conditions any
more than the farmer can success
fully combine to put up the prics
OF wheat, corn, cot on or other ag
ricultural commodities. You ask
then, what causes these periodical
shortages of coal. Just twt
things:
Poor Transportation.
First, some deficiency Of trans
portation which, for period make.
il impossible to ship from th'
mines the tonnage of coal needed
to meet current demands. That j:
a matter, it may be argued, agains
which the public should be safe
guarded and protected, l agree
What is not generally understood
however. that this already has beer
done and the public now, through
ample legislation, is fully protected
against that kind Of emergency.
refer to the Esch-Cummins law, tn,
new transportation act.
Big Coal Shortage.
On June l Of this year the Unitet
States was shorter of bituminou.
coal than it had ever been on Jun,
in any year Of which We have {
record. We were far worse OF
than on June l, 1917. We faced {
very grave situation because th'
railroads. d!sorganized by govern
ment control and the switchmen''
strike, was unable to ship NOR
than about 100000 tons of bitumi
nous coal per week, when the coun
try needed 100000 tons per week
However, under the newly enactet
Esch- -Cummins law, the interstate
commerce commission in coopera
tien with the National Coal associa
ton and the American Railway as
sociation, put into effect sorle prac
tical service orders which appliet
enough transportation service Il
the business of handling soft Goa
to fill up tie deficit to give con
sumers the reserve supplies the!
needed before winter and to restore
conditions to normal
!. Through the advantage affordet
by the Esch-Cummins law. thu
country today instead of facing ;
national disaster. as it did in tn
beginning Of the winter Of 1917-1S
is back to normal conditions Of bi
tuminpus coal supply. Thus tn
Esch- -Cummins law and the inter
state commerce commission hav'
been subjected to the severest pos
s!ble tests OF their sufiiciency in tn
face OF grave transportation
emergency and they have more tina,
made good. Clearly. then. no NOR
legislation Is needed to protect tn
public against that kind Of inter
ruption in its coal supply.
Strikes Interrupt.
Now the only other serious inter
ruption to coal supply arises iron
strikes. This may come from
strikes not in the coal industry a
all. but among railway employees
dockmen, truck drivers. etc. as vel
as among coal miners. So far ther
is no protection to the publ
against that kind Of interruption Q
its coal supply.
Let me say. therefore. that witt
the legislation now on the statut
books. ii Is clear no further Law
needed for the control and regula
ton OF the production and distri
button Of coal. II any Legislation
Is needed. as have pointed out.
Is legislation which Will protect tn
pnhlic against the interruption
which come from strikee vhethe