Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-08-29
legislation authoriz-

M nressure for legislation authorlz-
ing such step.
As viewed by the Mayfower con-
ferees, the coal strike situation ooth
anthracite and btuminous, appeared
in a way to solve itself ana insure
increased production in the very near
future, leaving the problem OF NOV
ing the product to the consumer as
the crux of the whole effort to restore
industrial stability. 1t appeared TO
be the opinion of the! Presidents adj
visors that great deal could be done
in that direction under authority al
ready possessed or to be conferred
Nv the distribution and priority leg
islation pending.
There was an intimation that a
further curtailment of the less es-
sential classes of railroad service.
such as passenger, express and DIS
pensible freight traffic in order to
utilize motive power and cars for
fuel and food might be one of the
steps taken to relieve the emergency.
1t wa sindicatcd. however, that al
though the administration had re-
solved to center its efforts toward
the action were yet to be formulated.
Despite the transportation difficult
ties the increase in bituminous pro-
duction has reached a point where
the administration decided that the
voluntary distribution organization
which had been functioning for the
past four weeks, could be abandoned
pending enactment of the distrlbu-
ton legislation before Congress.
Federal Fuel Distributor Spencer an
nounCed the disbanding of his NC'un-
tary committee by tho end of the
week and a ,discontinuanCe of super
priority orders for the movement of
coal.
Special arrangements were being
considered by the Interstate COM
mcrce commission for handling the
winters fuel supply for the north
west section while coal movements
| directed heretofore by Mr.. Spencer
would be shipped under existing pri-
GRITTY classifications of the commits
! sion.
! In the anthracite field, reports
| reaching the White House were sc
| reasuring that it was indicated ar
an agreement to insure reopening OF
the mines was expected within very
| short time.
| Secretary Hoover, in appearing to-
day before the House committee ar
| gued that some legal method of re-
straining eXtortionate prices in coal
would be necessary, and declared
! they were contained in the measure
| under consideration. His views were
supported by commissioner Atchison
| j. u. A. Morrow, vice president OF
! the National Coal Association, rep
loscnting operators producing about
| half of all the bituminOus coal de-
! Clarcd the price control methods pro-
| posed were unwise and likely to be
! opposed by all the producers. He
| advocated provision of sufficient
transportation facilities to guarantee
coal supply which of itself, he said
would break high prices.
| a debate before the committee en-
sued when commissioner Atchison
was recalled for rebuttal and de-
| clared that the whole transportation
! machinery of the United States had
| already been put at the service of
the coal industry and that now with
| the shOpmcn's strike and the load OF
other essential traffic developing on
| it, this machinery would be unable ia
move coal in surplus great enough to
| prevent opportunity for profitcerinG
| in the industry. Price regulation, he
maintained would be necessary and
could be brought about in modcra to
form by the enactment of the lceisla-
ton proposed.