The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-04-23
NATURALIZATION
|IJNLESSG0RDHIQAS
|lN GIlA IMPROVE.
That IS Prediction of Wit.
ness Before Senate Com
mittee Yesterday.

u .a
WASHINGTON, April IA move
snent for the naturalization of the
sroaI mines win take definite form in
lthis country unless conditions improve
.sfhortly, Senate subcommittee was
told yesterday by Eugene McAuliffe,
former director of coal economies OF
the United States Railroad admins
1trafion and metallurglcal engineer.
~ Mr.. Anliffe described conditions in
n the coal industry as chaotic. and de.
clared that unless consumers and pro-
ducers work out some sClution of con-
ditions In that industry within the
fhext two years naturalization OF the
'lmines probably Will come.
- The Senate committee today began
ia sefies Of hearings on the Freling-
.huysen bin TO give preferential freight
rates on shipments of coal made dur
Ing the summer months. The initial
hearing revealed diversity of opinion
Rmong coal operators, railroad Off
Gals and representatives OF Chambers
of Commerce.
II was said the coal operators pres
ent were probably about equally d.
vided as to the workability of the Ere
linghuysen plan. Chambers OF Com
merce. IL was indicated, would also
furnish conflicting views, based large
" on local conditions and the fear
that q freight differential might not
work uniformly throughout the coun-
try.
Mr.. MtAuliffes testimony brought
out that during the war coal furnished
some OF the railroads was 46 per cent.
ncn-combustible and, its poor quality
was largely responsible for freight
congestion and transportation uou-
bies. The Ffelinghuysep bill, Mr.. Nc
Aaliffe testified, was step in the
right direction to prevent idle freight
cars In summer and overtaxed trans
portation in winter.
Chairman Frelinghuysen, Of the spe-
ciaI subcommittee, said he had be-
come convinced that some legislation
of this sort, which has been approved
by the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, is necessary.
brief presented by the Cleveland
Chamber of Commerce expresses
doubt Of the prachcabillty Of the
freight dffferentia1 program. It re-
cites that the railroad strike has re.
tarded shipments; that large consum-
ers are now bidding against one an
other for coal; that there is an out
let for every ton that can be produced
this summer, and there is serious
question that a low freight rate on
summer shipments and high one on
winter shipments viii meet the pres
ent crisis
An argument presented by D. F.
Hurd, large operator of Pittsburgh,
also questions the practicability of the
differential freight rate. He asserts
IT would precipitate chaos IN the coal
rate structure, disturb existing differ
entails in cIassifications approved by
the Interstate Commerce Commission
after Investigation, create long haul
traffic and decrease car efficiency,
cause excessive demand for coal near
the end of the low freight period, mill.
tate against consumers without ade-
QuRte storage space and so on
G. w. Schneider, former traffic ad-
wiser Of the Fuel administration, told
the committee there was never such
q shortage of bituminous coal as at the
present. He said there were posi-
bllities In the Frelinghuysen bill, but
predicted there would not be the ex
pected surplusage of cars in the sum.
mer months. Railroad equipment, he
explained, is very limited and Mr.
schneider asserted that in the anthra
cite territory there has been no gen