The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1920-07-09
PROTEST AGAINST
PRIORITY FOR COAL
Business Destruction Threatens
as Result OF Order.
INSIST ON MODIFICATION
Announce Fight to Finish to Secure
Rail Movement of Materials They
Need.

L
Washington, July 9.-Declaring
their business to be threatened with
| destruction, representatives of nearly
a dozen Industries asked the inter.
state commerce commission to revoke
or modify its order requiring rail
roads to accord preference to coal
mines east of the Mississippi river in
the assignment of open-top cars
5 Speaker after speaker ut the com
Emissions open hearing on the order
Egdeclared his business would he forced
ito close down and his employees
| Sthrown out of work unless the order
was rescinded or modified. There
| were no indications, however, that the
lscommiSSlon would make any changein
the order, which was issued two
/ ing coal shortages throughout the
eastern states.
Industries protesting against the or
der included those engaged in hand!-
ing or dealing in crushed stone. ce-
zment, sand, gravel and lime and also
general building contractors. PreceG-
ing testimony of their representatives
the commission heard Daniel Willard,
chairman of the advisory committee
fof the Association of Railway Exc Gu
ftives, who declared that priority of
ssevice favoring the more essential
commodities was necessary to relieve
the present freight congestion
No suggestion for the modification.
of the order was made by Willard,
who, on the contrary, urged co-opera-
tion between shippers and local car
Service committees for shipment of
freight on the return movement of
sthe cars to the mines.
Willard, however, told the commits
ssion that he did not believe it would
he necessary to wholly curtafl the
smovement of any particular kind of
igbuSinesS." He suggested that ship
Ispers seek to eliminate delays in car
Igmovement, that they load the cars to
.#the maximum capacity, and that they
lsforego the re-cOnSignment of cars.
I5The problem in general, he said, was
to make the available insufficient
sHHulBllleUI lHbIc tll -CtlNt.
Intimation that the fight would be
Carried beyond the commission, III
case of refusal to modify the order.
/ vas given during the hearing by Y.
- Iaanson. of the National Sand and
fs1fslH Association.
"We have come TO you.' Mr.. John
son told the commission, "as the
|, court of first resort in our fight for
relief, which if here denied US, or lis
accomplishment seems uncertain or
impossible. our necessity will force us
TO continue until every remedy has
been sought"
John Rice, representing the Nation
Al Crushed Stone Association, asserted
that road contractors were facing
bankruptcy as a result of the commits
siOn's order, while A. n. Johnson, OF
the Portland Cement Association, de-
scribed the order as "unsOund busi-
ness policy and complained that 1t
would surely cause industrial depres-
sion. Various other industries Slml-
larly complained that they would have
TO quit business because of the order.
Thomas Mcdonald, appearing for
the federal bureau Of highway con-
struction as well as for several State
highway commissions, urged that 2ooo
cars be available daily for moving
! road building materials, which, he
said. were required to repair roads
and complete old contracts.
State highways commissioners and
representatives of various Industries
will continue the plea before the COM
| mission.