The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-23
COMMITTEE TOLD
 HOW FUEL ANNE
 WAS COPIED WITH
Dealings With Governmey Sso Explained By Coal cvS- tors in Ten-Hov
 sion YestesS
Ry Associ .ss

Washington, De- & 22.-How the National Coal az s ,n an organiza- ton of coal opera> :, dealt with the government and coped with the fuel shortage last summer were fields m which Senate Investigating committee today spent 10 hours
 J. D. A. Morrow, a vice president of the organization. told how the associa- tion drafted orders for the interstate commerce committee to issue on trans portation matters paid the expenses Of the United States geological survey in collecting official figures on coal pro- duction, kept Joseph P. Tumulty secre- tary to President Wilson, informed of all steps and successfully fought proposals to re-establish fuel administration al- though coal prices continued to mount
 D. w. Wentz, the associations presi- dent, testified to purchasing for the war department at the height of the short4 age 150,000 tons of coal, for which the government paid s11.50 a ton, while an other corporation which he controlled was mining and selling contract coal fer SS.20 and s3.S7 a ton.
 CORRESPONDENTS PRODUCED
 The examination of the two officials of the association was enlvened from tune to time as senators produced cor respondence taken from the organiza- tion's files during unannounced search of it's offices in Washington last Satur- day and Sunday, and questioned sharply regarding the purpose and public inter- est of the steps taken by the assoeia- tion and government agencies alike.
 MT. Wentz declared that his purchases of coal for the war department had been made over protest, and agreed to sug- gestion of Senator Calder. republican,, New York, that 'it was bad business for the government and increased the diffi- culty for the public"
 s"A representative of the war depart ment came to me and said that the de- partment had ordered all it's coal for the winter bought immediately during September Mir Wentz said. "I said that the department should buy a little then. little later on, and not go into tie market for the full amount, because it could all be obtained later for much less money, but ! was informed that the order was to buy immediately The story got was that the Secretary of War felt the step necessary"
 s75,000 COMMISSIONS
 MT Wentz said he received comnis- sons amounting tO StofpVJ OH llit put- chases Senator Calder producing a sheet of figures, said that millions ot tons had been obtained for the army by other buyers during September and October at prices ranging from s690 to S16 Another report from the shipping board saying that bunker coal at Hamp- ton Roads during the summer and fall had cost the shipping board si6.5o ton in quantities. Mir Morrow treated by +f.o 4 i,,ny a example of government inefficiency as l ever saw
 Chiefly the examination touched the actions relative to coal shortage taken by~ the government agencies presumably in the interest Of consumers at large Senator Kenyon. republican, Iowa. arm sd with minutes of the associations exec'i- tive meeting read a resolution which authorized "the drafting of an interstate commerce commission order to make mines immune from damages for fail- ing to fulfill contracts to furnish coal
 You did draft that order?' Senator Kenyon asked MT, Morrow
 we did and the commission issued it with somei changes" the witness told him.
 And it's general effect was to free mines from their liability to furnish coal they had contracted to ,deliver?' SenatNr Kenyon continued.
 "Only in so far the release was in inc public interests and necessary to get supplies to feep people in the northwest and New England from freezing this wn- ter" MT. Morrow ren.ied. He added that the contract breaking allowed the coal to move to the Great Lakes during the summer. Senator Kenyon developed that the national association had agreed 10 "go into the courts an6 defend the or der in case any operators brought n- junction proceedings against it: thai number of the association members dis- sented from the policy, and that Colo rado local association withdrew as oony because of it.,
 The payments to the geological survey for getting out coal production fisures' MT. Morrow said, allowed the main'en- ance of practice started during inc var for which Congress later made ap- nropriations It cost the assoclation ss ooO up until last July, and he saio that furnishing the money had not allowed the association to control the coihpi'a. ton. Senator Kenyon challenged tnis anu troduced several letters passing throush association channels concerning the weekly statements as to how compiia- tions should be arranged