The Washington herald., 1922-10-11
John Hays Hammond or
Thomas R. Marshall
May Head Board.
HOWELL AND SMITH
ALSO APPOINTED
DIR. E. T. Devine, Charles
P. Neill and Judge AL
schuler Complete List

President Harding has appointed the
coal fact-finding commission in sc-
cordance with the Borah-Wtnslow
law. He expects the seven members
thereof to meet here within ten days
to organize and get under way with
an Investigation which is intended to
reveal the causes of, and propose
remedies for those evils of the coal
industry held responsible for the
sporadic strikes which have harrassed
the country SO long. A preliminary
report is expected by the first OF the
new year.
The commission is composed Of the
following members:
John Hays Hammond. inventor and
engineer. OF Washington.
Thomas Riley Marshall, former vice
president
Judge Samuel Alschuler. lawyer. Of
Chicago.
Clark Howell. editor of the Atlanta
(Ga-) Constitution.
George Otis Smith. director OF the
United States Geological Survey.
DR.. Edward T Devine. professor of
sociology, New York.
Charles P. Neill, Of Illinois, former
Commissioner of Labor under Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
Board to select Chairman.
The chairman Of the commission. it
was said, will be selected by the COM
missioners when they meet. This
group is entirely bipartisan with re-
gard to the coal industry. as Is re-
quired by law The only member who
has had any intimate connection with
the recent bituminous and anthracite
coal strikes is DIR. Smith OF the Geo
logical Survey.
This comm ssion is authorized to
subpoena persons. books and
papers. and its members are each
to be paid $500 a year. which is
the length of the commiss on's life.
In general the findings of the
commission are expected to relate
10 the following coal problems.
l. Overdevelopment OF the indus
try. whereby. 1t is held. there are
too many coal mines and at least
100000 too many coal miners for
the fulfllment of the countrys
ployment OF miners.
.. Advisability of national
wage scale agreement and the
length Of time such an agreement
runs
3. In view OF the foregoing prob
lens the adv stability or wisdom
OF naturalization or government
control of the coal industry.
Suitable Laws to Follow.
On the basis of these findings.
suitable Legislation "as Congress
has the power and may deem wise
ha
Congress gets ready to act, a sharp
struggle against coal legislation Is
antic pated, especially by the BIZ
luminous coal interests.
While the anthracite peace agree
ment obtained through the efforts
of Senators Pepper and Reed, Of
Pennsylvania, contained a clause
requesting such an investigation,
the bituminOus industry. as a re-
suit of the recent Cleveland con-
ference. has decided to conduct its
own investigation and declined to
furnish President Harding with a
panel OF names from which he had
consented TO select at least part Of
the commission.
As announced. the commission is
bipartisan even in political views
and walks of life. 1t contains Re
publicans and Democrats laymen
and SCIENTISTS public" group in
accordance with the law. When
the commission meets II is consid-
cred likely that either John Hays
Hammond or former Vice Presid snt
Marshall will be selected chairman:
the former because of his his vast
experience in mining projects. and
the latter because of his personal
popularity.
Both Well Known
Mr. Hammond. a native Of Cali
fornia, was born in 1855. and was
of the group of Californians who
led in making the mining Of pre-
Cious metals the highly specialized
and scientific industry it is now
His career has been filled with SEN
sational achievements in the mining
industry and has taken him to all
parts Of the world. He was asso-
ciated with Cecil Rhodes and the
Barnato brothers in developing the
South African fields.
Mr.. Marshall. who was Vice Presi-
dent during the eight years of the
Wilson administration. is a native
of Indiana: a lawyer by profession.
and was governor of his State from