Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-12-12

CoIllllllLtSS Oh 1CSOlIoI4 0Ik1oA e1i'
U. s. Regulation Wage.
The report was made public hero Fri
day night by Mr.. MA4ee.
Government regulatiolStof coal produc-
ton is advocated by Mr.. MCGEE as So
luton Of coal profiteering. Mr.. McGee
was sent by Minnesota to the east last
summer to speed up coal shipments un-
der priority order Number 10. The SEN
ate committee asked for report on his
findings.
Mr.. McGee in the report points out
that present prices for bituminous coal,
ranging in some cases as high as $50 q
ton, are the direct results Of coal COM
panies flooding docks at lower lake ports
with coal that had not been contracted
for,
Flood Lake Docks.
The coal supply of the northwest, the
report says, had been contracted for at
into effect the docks were flooded with
coal for which no contracts had been
made. This coal had TO be moved to
the northwest to avoid congestion at
the ports which would have meant can
collation. of the priority order. says the
report. As a result, according to the
report, the dock companies which i'm
port the coal TO the northwest had to
take the coal. for which they had not
contracted, paying prices far in excess
of the contract price of $3.50 9 ton"
The difference to the consumer be-
tween coal moving under contract and
that not moving under contract was in
some localities S11.5o a ton," the report
says.
Fear to Show Books.
association, through one of its mem
bers, has obtained a permanent injunc-
ton in the supreme court of the District
of Columbia preventing the federal trade
commission from examining the books
of the coal producing companies. and
the production cost a ton
of bituminous coal and giving that in
formation to the public.
Mr.. McGee appealed to the senate
to investigate the books Of
both the producing companies and the
said. lis entitled to know il it is being
robbed and if SO to what extent, and by
whom"
Si25 Retailers Profit.
Summarizing reports of coal prices to
and consumers throughout the
northwest, Mr.. McGee stated in his re-
port that the average margin of profits
for the retailers was from rs cents to
S1,25 ton.
Assuming that the foregoing state
ments are substantially correct" said
Judge McGee, ''the consumers of the
scores of millions of dollars and this was
the result of the vilhanous program
forced upon us by the president of the
National Coal assoeiatinn -
In its Constructive criticism" Of the
present system. the report makes the
following suggestions:
Producers should be prohibited in a
given year from making contracts for
,oal in excess of the amount actually pro-
duced from the same mines in the pre-
ceding year.
Legislation Is Need.
Legislation ought to be enacted that
would authorize the interstate commerce
to provide car programs to
relieve shortages in any section.
THE dock companies should be com
PEELED to submit their books to public ex-
animation to show how much coal they
received under their contracts at around !
81 so ton and why they did not re-
,eive more from that source and other |
pertinent facts
Concluding, Mr.. McGee states in his
report:
IF the coal producer can conceal from |
the public production costs and have the !
price to the consumer subject to their !
own will, there is something radically |
wrong with our form of government. II
10 not advocate government ownership !
IF mines, but I do advocate government |
regulation of mines"