Evening star., 1922-06-22
Unanimous Demand That Coal
Strike Be Ended.


The country is becoming gravely
concerned over the continuation of
the coal strike. Empty bins. and the
seeming inability of officiaidom to
get action" from either side. forces
memory back to war winters when
there was much suffering. There is
voiced a concerted demand by editors,
without regard to their political be-
lief, for the adoption OF measures that
will send the men back to the mines
and end the strike before the rail-
roads are congested with crop moVe-
ments and the like.
After watching with keen interest
the efforts Of Secretary Hoover to get
profiteering minimized without ap-
parent success, the Boston Traveller
declares that. III the process OF
Hooverizing isn't going to work with
the coal interests. then the sooner tne
administration goes before Congress
with definite demands for an extern
sion of authority over the mining and
sale of coal the better IT Will be. Ihe
country will be in bad fix for fuel
next winter II action is deferred much
burgh Leader is still working. so 1t
recalls that during the war days the
maximum price agreement fell INTO
the nations experience, what the
price Is at the point of production mas
no relation to the price at the point OF
the sugar hunting days will not need
to look further for their parallel.
Which leads the Chicago Daily News
likewise to recall that the Bland Dill
for the creation OF a fact-hnoing
commission to determine the paslc
80 OF
coal problem, and thus directly or In
directly lead to an adjustment of the
present controversy" still is before
Congress and to wonder why 1t is
not pushed" The Newark News in
turn calls attention to the fact that
coal needs accumulate" 1t points out
that the hard coal miners had no
grievance" but that the suspension
in that industry was due entirely to
"the desire Of the international union
to use hard coal to force PUBLIC opln-
in the soft coal industry" The con-
sumer can do nothing, 1t continues,
save to wait, But determined ef-
fort from Washington to end an m
tolerable situation is something for
which he watches with growing i'm
patience"
The grave danger to industry of in
areasing prices is pointed out by the
Appleton Post-Crescent which de-
clares that Cheap coal is as neces-
sary to commerce as low freight
rates 1t would not materially inn
and at the same time raise, coal
prices" The efforts of Herbert
Hoover, the Knoxville Sentinel is
convinced, have failed ito protect
the consumers" and it would have
been better ito have left the price,
L. - hn m
Hoover's endeavor to get eastern
consumers to buy Alabama coal is
indorsed by the ST. Paul Dispatch,
which points out that lit will help the
northwest materially in the fall and
winter if the New England and New
York consumers OF hard coal may be
induced to use something else in case
of a shortage" In this connection the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch emphasizes
that mere assumption of responsible
ity on the part of the government will
not serve the purposes of fuel. The
government may have plan that 1t is
Keeping under it's hat. Without plan
it. may have good luck. But coal
consumers would like to know wheth-
er it is discharging its responsibility
I'm advance by making sure of an un-
Interrupted supply"
That the public may become pan
icky" at any moment is the opinion
then supplies will be laid in ire
spective Of cost. The surest and
safest way to prevent prices from
mounting to the sky is to effect a
settlement of the strike. Restricted
supplies, empty coal bins and the
approach of winter are inconsistent
with reasonable prices" Indorsing
this position, the New York World
recalls that the transporting and dis
tributing companies are not parties
to any Of Mr.. Hoover's negotiations
and "they VIII take for coal what 1t
will bring; in the past they have not
been above pocketing that proportion
of the profits which conscientious
mining companies refused to touch.
And it is the retail price, not the
price at the mine mouth, which in
terests the public" While waiting
for a settlement. the New York Posi-
believes that coal should be rationed
40 as to go where 1t is most needed.
and charges for It ought easily to be
kent within bounds" The Brooklyn
Eagle also suggests that actual con-
sumption is so far in excess of pro-
duction that unpleasant effects can
NOT long be delayed II the strike con-
tinues, and it does not appear that
cnxr cs,neDrOmiSe io in sight" : This