Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-12-23
NEW LIGHT ON COAL
SALES TO GOVT.
National Coal Assn. President
Says War Dept. Insisted on
Buying Over Protest 10000
Tons at S11.5O in Sept.

Washington Dec 22-How the National
Coal association, an organization Of coal
Operators. dea- with the government and
COPIED with the fuel shortage last sum-
mer. were fields in which Senate In
vestigating committee to-day spent ter
hours.
j. d. A. Morrow a vice-president Of the
organization. told how the association
drafted orders for .he Interstate Com
mcrce Commission 20 ISSUE on ,ransporta-
ton matters. paid the expenses of the
United States Geologic. i Survey In COL
letting officiul figures on coal production.
kept Joseph =. Tumulty, secretary TO
President Wilson. informed Of all steps,
and successfully fought proposals 20
establish. a fuel administration although
coal prices continued to mount.
u. w. Wentz, the association presl-
dent, testified to purchasing for the war
department at the height of the shortage
10000 tons of coal. for which tn, govern
ment paid $1l50 a ton. while another
corporation which he controlled was
mining and selling contract coal for s32
and s3s7 ton.
The examination of the two officials
of the association was enlivened from
time to time as senators produced cor
respondenCe taken from the organizations
files during an unannounced search of
Its offices In Washington last Saturday
and Sunday, and questioned sharply the
purpose and public interest of the steps
taken by the association and government
agencies alike.
Mr.. Wentz declared that his purchase
of coal for the war department had been
made over protest. and agreed to n sug-
gestion of Senator Calder. Republican,
Nor1y l>pl
for the government and increased the
difficulty for the public"
"A representative of the war de-
partment came to me and said that the
department had ordered all it's coal for
the winter bought Immediately during
September Mr.. Wentz said II said
that the department should buy a lit
tie then, n little later on, and not go
into the market for the full amount.
because It could all be obtained later
for much less money, but I was In
formed that the order was to buy i'm
modiately. The story I got was that
the secretary of war felt the step nec-
essary."
Mr.. Wentz said he received COM
missions amounting to $4,000 on the
purchases. Senator Calder. producing a
sheet of figures, said that millions Of
tons" had been obtained for the army
by other buyers during September and
October, at prices ranging from $500
to SIG. Another report, from the Ship
ping Hoard saying that bunker coal at
Hampton Roads during the summer and
fall had cost the shipping Board $3.50
ton. in quantities. Mr.. Morrow treat
ed by saying that 1t was as incxcus-
able an example of government inef-
ficiency as ! 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. Sem
ator Kenyon, Republican. Iowa. armed
with minutes of the associations execu-
tive committee meetings read resolu-
tions which authorized the drafting of
an Interstate Commerce Commission or
der to make mines immune from dam
ages for failing to fulfill contracts to
furnish coal.
"You did draft that order?" Senator
Kenyon asked Mr.. Morrow.
I'VE did and the oom'oission issued it
.''h some 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?" Senator
Kenyon continued.
"Only insofar as the release was In
public interest and necessary to get sup
plies to keep people in the northwest and
New England from freezing this winter"
Mr.. Morrow returned. He added that the
contract breaking allowed the coal TO
move to the Great Lakes during the sum-
mer, Senator Kenyon developed that the
National association had agreed to "go
into tho courts and defend the order" in
case any operators brought Injunction
proceedings against 1t, that number of
the association members dissented from
the policy and that n Colorado local as
sociation withdrew as body because Of
Il.