Evening star., 1921-06-07
i. s. COMPETITION
IN COAL FORECAST
Operators Warned Govern.
ment Some Day May Take
Their Business.
VITAL STATISTICS ASKED
Secretary Fall Emphasizes Federal
Fields Are Larger Than Com
bined Private Holdings.

Coal operators were warned today
by Secretary Fall of the Interior De-
partment that cooperation between
the government and the coal indus
try in publishing vital statistics Of
tie industry will be necessary within
a few years and that probably within
short time the government will be
! in direct competition with private op-
orators in the sale of coal. The In
! terror Secretary declared the stand
of the government at a hearing today
at the Interior Department on the
Frelinghuysen bill for stabilization OF
the coal industry through publica-
ton of statistics.
Opposition developed at the hearing
Coal Association to the provisions of
the f'relinghuysen bill. which would
compel coal operators to furnish the
government with accurate informa-
tion on the coal industry. Both J. u.
Bradley. president. and ]. D. A. Nor
row. vice president of the association.
declared the organization would and
is prepared to furnish the government
reliable information on the industry.
and that such voluntary Information
should be tried out before law is
passed forcing the operators to fur
nish the information.
Omcials Present.
The conference was attended by Sec
retaries Hoover and Fall OF the Com
merce and Interior departments. SEN
ators Frelinghuysen and Calder, Ralph
Crews. w. X. Field and E. E. White:
operators: S. D. Warriner. W. L. Con-
nell and D. H. Williams. representing
the anthracite operators: Roderick
Stephens. John E. Lloyd, tr,. and
Homer d. Jones. representing. the
National Retail Coal Merchants AS
sociation; w. R. Coyle. Noah H.
Swayne and G. H. Gushing. represent
ing the American Wholesale Coal AS
sociation; Messrs. Bradley and Nor
row of the National Coal Association.
George Otis Smith. director of the
geological survey and several coal
operators.
Secretary Hoover gave it as his be-
lief that publication of coal prices is
essential. both as a protection to the
public and to the coal operators. and
that publication of statistics is neces-
sary for thu growth of the industry
itself. Senator Calder said the people
of the country have been paying more
than they ought to for coal. and said
the operators should JON with the
government in giving mining costs
and transportation costs. for the pro-
lection of the purchasing public:
Senator Frelinghuysen said ho=op.
posed government interference and
regulation In the coal ihdustry. put ne
believed. he said. that publication OF
statistics bearing on the industry
would do much to stabilize the busi-
ness.
Government Holdings Large. :
Secretary Fall said the govern
ment owned more coal than was rep
resented by all the operators present
at the hearing and that the time
would surely come when private oper-
ators would be in direct competition
with the government in production of
coal. Therefore. he said. the time has
come for publication of statistics on
the industry.
Mr.. Morrow made the point that the
National Coal Association has con-
Quoted an honorable business for more
than seventy years. He said that un-
til the war came and government in
terference started the margin of prof
it in the coal industry was probably
closer than in any other industry.
I'VE are afraid OF the attitude OF
the Department of Justice toward
price and coal distribution data" Mr.
Morrow said. IF the government takes
the data from US we will be satisfied.
but believe it should give the volun-
tary system a fair trial before forcing
US to bow to it's dictate and submit
information involuntarily. do not
see the need for further legislation
along those lines.
EITHER the Interior or the Com
merce Department could supplement
it's own information on the coal in
dustrys with the information which we
are prepared to furnish voluntarily"
Questioned by Senator Frelinghuy-
sen as to whether. in his opinion, the
coal industry is public utility. Mr..
Morrow said he thought it was not.
except in times of national stress. such
as the world war, when probably reg
ulation was necessary.