The New York herald., 1922-07-27
Local Officials Warned to
Prevent Profiteering
in Fuel.
APPEALS TO THE MINERS
Harding Again Asks Them to
Return and Accept Commits
sion's Verdict.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
Wnshin rtnn ID r.. .IrIv

Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.l
Washington, ID. c., July 26.
A nationwide Federal and State or
ganization to distribute available coal
supplies was created to-day to meet
the fuel emergency.
President Harding appointed three
members Of his Cabinet and an Inter-
state Commerce Commissioner as a
central coal distributing committee to
carry out the plans of priority move
ment and price control outlined yester-
day.
Secretary of Commerce Hoover as
chairman Of the committee wired to
the Governors Of all States asking ap-
pointment of State committees to make
distribution and to hold down prices
within the States.
Coincident with this action the In
terstate Commerce Commission wired
all State utility bodies asking II assist
ance ard cooperation in carrying out
priority movement could be depended
upon from the State bodies
Replies to the messages to the utility
bodies and the Governors have not yet
been received.
Plans for the use of common labor
and possibly OF steam shovels to mine
coal from the extensive surface veins
In Ohio. Indiana and Illinois, are under
~, ,otA An~ otx.fa v-at t<av~
Many mines In these States are open
face or, surface-vein mines They can
supply II worked. II Is said, all of the
needs Of these three great Industrial
States Two Of the States require the
holding OF certificates by miners, but
whether this would apply to surface
workers Is regarded as an open ques-
ton.
Quick Relief Expected.
Administration officials are confident
that extensive open-vein mining and
restoration Of ample railroad facilities
to the mines now producing would go
far toward staving off coal famine and
a real industrial crisis.
While there were no detailed reports
received by officials here the priority
movements which began to-day moved In
the railroads serving producing mines
Is anticipated
President Harding In a public state
ment to-day addressed to ]. Cleve Dean,
chairman of a railway workers publicity
association, reiterated his determination
to keep the public interest above that
OF any group. organized or unorganized.
His message made II plain that he
stands by the position that the mine
workers should return 60 work under
the old wages and working conditions
and accept a fair and impartial verdict
by commission on the issues involved.
The President said he believed there
were enough fair and loyal men to meet
the public needs and open the mines.
Samuel Gompers. president of the
American Federation Of Labor issued
a statement commencing Government
action In asking priority movement
of coal and food and checking profiteer-
ing "if the action is what II appears TO
be-"
state cooperation in priority move
ment and In distribution of coal is
being sought by the I. C. C. and by the
Presidents coal committee. because Fed
eral Government control of supplies and
movement will pass once supplies reach
their destination. Prohteering In coal
ditrT ~ icaNHes SG ucStnlhtioH can
only be checked by State authority. For
instance. coal sent into New York on a
fair price from the mines might be
jobbed after It reaches the State and
the price run up. State authority will
be asked to meet any such contingency.
Food GougfnR Attempted.
Efforts toward food proiteering In
Washington on the excuse Of a shortage
because OF the railroad and coal strikes
were reported to the Department OF Jus
tice, and action Ia to be taken by local
authorities. There has been no check
to food shipments into the District of
Columbia.
Announcement OF the appointment OF
the Presidents coal committee was
made from the Department Of Justice.
The text OF the announcement follows
The President to-day requested the
Attorney General. the Secretary of
the Interior, the Secretary OF Com
merce and Commissioner Aitchison Of
the I. G. c., or their representatives,
to act as a coal distribution commit
tee under the temporary chairman
ship OF the Secretary OF Commerce.
NTH member Is to be added to the
committee later, who will undertake.
the administrative direction. The ul-
Innate character of the organization
must depend upon the situation.
Secretary Hoover sent the telegrams
to the Governors OF all States as the
first step toward decentralization of the