New-York tribune., 1920-11-25
Calder Gives
Coal Men Ten
Days to Reform
VIII Ask Congress to Name
Board of Control Unless
Alleged Unfair Practices
Are Changed at Once
Charges Broken Promises
Says No Action Was Taken
10 Eliminate Abuses or
Check Future Profiteering

Warning that the coal industry of
the country must reform its methods
and eliminate unfair practices within
the next ten days or face the certainty
OF government control was given YES
terday by United States Senator Will
lam M. Calder, chairman of the Senate
Committee on Reconstruction. after
the committees return from a three
weeks tour of the country.
Senator Calder declared the coal
operators had failed to take any eff
fectlve measures to eliminate abuses in
the industry and had given no assur-
ances of any action designed to prevset
future occurrence of profteering ana
speculation in the handling of coal. He
reiterated his determination to intro
duce in Congress a bill for the es-
Enlistment of government commits
SION to regulate completely the coal in
dustry If steps toward permanent re-
form were not taken within the next
ten days.
Promises Unkept, He Says
There is no evidence to show that
the coal operators have made I'd their
minds to reform their Industry" he
said, "and l believe the same condi-
tions prevail to-day that existed three
weeks ago when Senator Edge joined
with me in statement concerning the
coal situation of the country The
coal operators have another ten days in
which to make good their promises be-
fore Congress convenes, or action will
be taken along the lines that Senator
Edge and | threatened we would take.
The promise Of the prominent coal
men to clean up their house and put it
in order has been unfulh.led. Their ac-
ton in cleaning ou. speculators from
the industry does not give sufficient
assurance that the same spectators
business next year. In fact, their eff
forts to reform themselves do not
show any promise of permanency and
that is the reason we arc going to in
siat upon government control of the
Coal INDUSTRY.
Nation Aroused Over Issue
"The peop.c Of the country have
been completely aroused over the stu
alton, and everywhere we went we met
with strong support of our contem-
p.ated action. Nothing has happened
to change my mind on the subject, ex-
cept that l do not like the name Ma
tl0nallZatlOn as expressing the action
we intend to take. That is bad word
because of its Soviet implications.
"Our contemplated scheme Of gov
eminent supervision will be in the
nature of Federal commission, which
will include within its scope regula-
tion of all coal mining, distribution
of coal and supervision Of delivery.
1t will also have powers to fix prices
Senator Calder said that as the an
thracte coal situation affected New
York City more than any other part of
the country, his committee had not
been able to keep in touch with the
anthracite situation during the tour
He announced his intention Of com
pletely investigating the anthracite in
dustry, to ascertain whether the con
ditions that resulted in the imitation
Of soft coal have been responsible for
the present high prices of anthracite
He said in Alabama the situation had
become so grave and the people were
being gouged SO badly by coal men
that the Governor of the state had
been compelled to appoint q coal adj
ministrator. Under the adm inistrataor
of the latter the situation was improv-
ing somewhat,