The Washington herald., 1922-05-19
PRICE CONTROL
OF COAL COMES
AS A SURPRISE
Secy. HOover's Plan Ac-
complished Without
Blare of Trumpets.
HOLD TO WAR LEVEL
Committee Will Allocate Or
ders-AnOther Confer
ence to Follow.

Secretary of Commerce Hoover
spranC a surprise on the country
yesterday when he induced leading
producers of nonunion coal fields of
the country to enter into an agree
ment to control coal prices during
the strike emergency as a means of
preventing profiteering.
The coal operators. summoned to
Washington without blare OF
trumpets or any pronouncement OF
the Secretary's intentions. consent
ed to a proposal submitted by Mr..
Hoover involving appointment of a
committee in each mining district
to allocate orders for spot coal and
to control prices at approximately
the level of the fuel administra-
tion's wartime scale. with modifi-
cations to conform to wage changes
since that time.
Central Committee Controls.
As a hub to this entirely volun-
pervisory committee will be estab-
lished at Washington. Yesterdays
conference. Secretary Hoover an
nounced. was preliminary to an
other conference to which al! btu
minous operators will be invited in
the near future.
Through the operation of the To-
cal and central committees. compe-
tition by large purchasers of coal
would be prevented under the
agreement. and competitive bidding
to boost prices eliminated. the plan
requiring unifcation OF coal pur-
chases by the big consumers. rail-
roads. public utilities and leading
metallurgical concerns.
Question as to the legality of the
scheme to control prices arose in
the minds of some operators, but
Secretary Hoover was quick to as
sure doubtors that the plan had the
sanction of Attorney General
Daugherty. and they need have no
Years Of prosecution by the Depart
ment Of Justice.
Attorney General Approves.
In fact Assistant Attorney Cen
erar H ]. Galloway attended the
conference and it was stated that a
representative of the Attorney Gen.
eral would be a member of the
central committee. Final plans to
be worked out by a special commit
tee will be presented to the Attor-
ney General for official approval
and the success of the scheme also
is conditional upon 1,500 operators
now producing coal agreeing to CO.
operate.
The committee named to WORK
out details of the price co-opera-
tion scheme is composed of the fol-
lowing:
virginia-C. e. Bockus. New York
Cincinnati; c. F. Richardson. Stur-
eis. KY: F. w. Wiltshire. Tennessee
e. c. Mahan and Alex Bonniman,
Tracey Guthrie, Pittsburgh; s. P.
Hutchinson and Julian HUFF, Phiia-
delphia. Alabama-Erskine RAM
sey, Birmingham. West Virginia
j. C. Bradley, E. E. White, Glen
White, w. Va; w. D. Ord, Lana
Graddi w. Va: T. b. Davis, New
York City; c. c. Dickinson. Charles
ton, w. Va. Maryland-A. w. Gall
loway, Philadelphia. Washington
Walter Barnum. New York City.
Utah-Moroni Heimer.
Only One Operator Dissents.
While some Of the operators ad-
yanced objections to various fea-
lures of the plan. pointing out that
coal had been selling at a loss and
that some extra profit should be
made at this time. the ovcrwheim-
ing sentiment was in favor Of CO.
operation with the government.
when a motion by J. g. Bradley,
president of the National Coal As
soeiation. approving the scheme.
Costf,sxsf On PaAa TAyaA