The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-10-30

Washington, oct. "a committee
representing the Cnitcd Min" Work.
ers OF America, has lil"d with tn"
United States Coal commission lnTrS-
tigating the industry. report con
tuning comment and suggestions.
The document. made public to-day.
is siyncd by Ellis Scarl"s, editor OF
the unions magazine; John Moore. It's
legislative representative, and ThoS.
Kennedy. Pennsylvania district pres
idcnt OF the organization. and seeks
to lay before the commission the
unions idea Of how it should conduct
its investigation and the oblCCtivcs
to be attained.
Absentee ownership OF coal mining,
result of the intrusion of profit TAX
inn middlcmcn in marketing. rcgula'
lion of coal production. and the sur
vcy Of transportation and storage Ia
ciities available for coal distribution,
the report emphasized, should Dc IN
vcstigatcd by the commission. on a
number Of subjects about winch the
commission asked views, the comrht'
tee withheld comment, asking furtN"r
time for study. but gave assurance
that all available information be pre-
scented when called for.
Absentee Ownership.
"Thc commission. through lis own
avenues. SHOULD investigate the cN'
tent to which absentee ownership pre-
wallis in the coal industry" the report
said. Eve believe this IS an cNll that
has much TO do with the strained re
/ lations and unfortunate conditions
whcih exist in the industry.
aye believe that the commission
should ascertain why it is that the
price of coal to the domestic con,
SINNER is always higher than the
nriccs 10 railroads and other large
purchasers. We believe this line
could be developed if the commission
would inquire into railroad coal con
tracts and the methods by which con
tracts are made
! In seeking produc IA cost iiSur"S'
! thr rcpOrt suggested the commission
! should take up the question OF invest
Iment TO see whether capitalization IS
water upon which the coal consumer
Is required to pay interest and ulVi'
/ dends.' as we'll as wages.
Cost Of Production.
THE commission should ascertain
rho actual mine cost Of production,
II added, and then compare that cost
with the price which the consumer
NAYS and find out who gets the money
! rahresentcd by those two figures. On
the noint of labor costs. the commit
tee. asked the commission to consloer
tho accounts Of representative mines
IN all sections OF the country, ana 70
refrain from giving conclusive con
sideration to the rate Of wages or the
mine worker per day, but conslue'
the amount Of his annual earnings.
lrreauIarty Of Production
Irrecularity Of production, waste OF
coal in mining operations, and trans
portation methods, 1t was declareu
nut heavy charges against coa' pro
tluctiou, and deserve attention.
eve believe figures show there
sbould be n much greater supply o.
coal cars in the country. the rePoF'
said with reference to transportation
and the commission should ascertain
the facts and make such rccommenna
tinns as will remedy this condition
We suggest that tn" commission IN
crire fully into the practi"ahility anc
ahyisahility of recommending N" ere
alton or some sort of system tor the
storage Of coal.
The committee declared tho com
mission should not hesitate to make
recommendation affecting the onrls
djction OF the interstate commerce
commission over coal freight rates Il
found to be necessary.