Evening star., 1922-07-24
OPERATORS AGREE
IN PRINCIPLE WITH
GOVERNMENT PLAN
Accept Administrations Pro-
posaIs for the Distribu-
ton Of Fuel.
Mr.. DAUGHERTY SUSTAlNS
LEGAL PHASES OF ACTION
Attorney General Backs Secretary
Hoover, Declaring Outline to Be
Comprehensive and Practical.

Operators from the producing dis
tricts of six states in conference to-
day with Secretary Hoover agreed in
principle with the administration s
plan for maintaining prices and insur-
ing fuel distribution during the strike
emergency.
At the same time Attorney General
Daugherty submitted an opinion "sus-
tanning every phase" of the legality
of Secretary Hoover's plan lin con-
nection with the coal shortage and
distribution
Districts Must Approve.
The operators, it was stated after
the conference this morning, had
agreed to the general proposals as
outlined by Secretary Hoover. subjec,
to the approval of their respective
tions to the legal features of the
scheme.
Train Movement Factor.
Immediately upon adjournment OF
the first meeting the chairmen of the
committees of operators representing
the various districts went into. ses-
sion with Mr. Hoover to draft the de-
tails of the coal control plan which
is to be submitted to the full con-
ference. 1t was expected that the
detailed program would be ready for
submission at another meeting of the
conference this afternoon.
Efforts OF the drafting committee
il WAS learned. were to be aimed at
framing a scheme for emergency coal
control which would not run counter
TO the law relating to monopolies and
conspiracies in restraint of trade.
Non-union operators attending the
conference were inclined to attach
only one condition to their agreement
TO maintain the fair prices previously
liked, and that was requirement that
the government use every effort to
get them railroad service. 1t is con-
Ceded that the price scales set offer
reasonable profits to all of the pro-
ducers in the non-union districts,
even though some buyers under the
pressure of imminent shortage have
been bidding up the market levels.
and urging upon the producers cash
offers far above the Hoover scales. 3
The producers asserted that II their
mines could not be kept in regular
in the non-union districts, where the
railroad strike has been aimed at coal
production, were unable to keep trains
moving, alternative shutdowns and
assumptions will increase the costs
of their operation. destroy the morale
of their mining forces, and make 1t
necessary for them to sell their coal
at a higher figure than the levels
now voluntarily fixed. Much Of the
West Virginia production has been
held strictly within the fair price
limits, but a general breaking away
from these levels has been reported
to officials in the western Kentucky
areas, supplying the mid-western
markets.
Meeting in executive session. the
conference began the consideration of
two proposals laid before them by
Mr.. Hoover. One provided for the
tightening of existing voluntary
agreements to maintain fair prices
and the other for establishment of
coal pools in the producing districts
for preferential distribution under
the authority of the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
Mr.. Hoover was understood to take
the position that the conference was
held to deal entirely with the two
problems presented and not to con-
slider means for settling either coal
or railroad strikes.
Mr. Dnugherty's Opinion.
The Attorney General declared that
he would join with Secretary Hoover
and every other governmental agen-
cy under the direction of the Presi-
dent, to relieve the situation to the