New-York tribune., 1922-08-23
V1J1aT 4 HsDK j sss5l
Law Is I)odged
BY Leg gislators
Capitol Works Feverisl,ly TO
Settle Futalre Strikes i'm
the Fuel Industry, but Ig-
nores the Present Crisis
Harding Wants Free Hand
President Determined That
No One Shall Dictate Who
Is To BE ON Inquiry Body
BY Carter Field

4 WASHINGTON Aug. %. Although
i piece Of emergency strike legislation
4 that to prevent profiteering on the
i present supply of coal--both ends of
the Capitol. sdodging this issue, are
feverish with activity looking to per-
manent legislation. q
I Not wheel is turning to prevent
i the coal operators and dealers muct-
ing the coal consumers this. autumn
| and winter.
1t became increasingly evident to-
day that most of the members of both
House and Senate arc seeking excuses
! to avoid the coal regulation commits
| sion which the President desires. A
/ few, like Lenroot in the Senate and
] Dickinson in the House, are working
on it and insisting upon action, but
| the committees of both houses spent
the day working on bills to provide
the permanent coal commission, which
Is to look into working conditions
4 ndiproyide machinery for the preyen-
tion Of future strikes.
! harding Wants Free Hand
In brief, Congress is busy arranging
| to prevent future strikes, but is do
! ing nothing to meet the present need,
/ Isdespite the clear and urgent recon-
! mendation Of the President that a
4 check to profiteering is what is needed
] now, and thatathe other legislation can
wait.
Meanwhile President Harding and
John l.. Lewis, president of the United
Mine Workers, are pulling in opposite
directions as to the commission to in
1 I,vestigatei the coal industry. Mr. Hard
ing informed members of the House to-
day in vigorous terms that he did not
want his choice of members of this
commission restricted He does not
| want to be obliged to select one man
from the unions and one from the op-
/ orators, for instance.
1T may be that he will not desire
either class to have representation on
the commission. In short, he does not
want it to be composed of opposing
4 counsel and judges, but that it will be
a genuine inquiry body whichlwill 20
/ in from the outside in behalf of the
/ public and make a report. \
Bill Reported Favorably
Lewis telegraphed Representative
Bland that such commission as the
4 President desires would "nullify" the
4 agreement just, reached at Cleveland
and urged that it should not be writ
ten into law, even if the Administra-
tion does want it. 'a
The House Committee on Interstate
| Commerce ordered a favorable report
on the Winslow coal commission bill
looking to an investigation of the coal
4 industry, with view to permanent
4 control Legislation. AT the same time
1.-the Senate Education and Labor Com
nrittee ordered a favorable report on
4 the Borah coal commission bill, which
likewise is intended to provide for a
4 fact-finding commission, Early passage
through both houses is expected.
In the House there will be a strong
| effort to force through the Bland coal
f,commission bill instead of the Win
STOW bill Senator Cummins, chair
man of the Senate Interstate Com
nefce Committee, and Representative
4 DAcknson, who is leader of the farm,
oioc IN the House, had a long confer
ence over emergency coal legislation
+ Both are opposed to an investigating
committee on the ground that the two
houses and fhe departments have all
OF the information needed on which
to base controA legislation.
Teeth for Bill Planned -
Representative Dickinson, as we'll as
some other House members, is civ
ing consideration to- the form which
4 Legislation to meet the possibility of
1 protiteering should take.
Dlcklnson is studying the question
OF regulation Of coal profits, along with
I IE}publiclty, IN the coal industry. and of
pr.oyyiding for a. permanent coal COM
msslon, such as the Interstate Com
! merce Commission He may introduce
bill for such commission. Senato
Cummlns is prepared to have the In
terstate Commerce Committee take uo
the subject of coal control, but has NJ
bill himself
1t is possible that when the Boran
local commission bill comes up on the
( moor OF the Senate efforts will be made
TO, amend it SO as to put teeth irt it
with respect to the existing emer-
gehcy. several Senators are under
stood to have this plan in mind. q
4 The favorable report on the Borah
4 coal commission bill carried amend
4 ments. In general way, the amend
a ments are intended to make the bill
harmonize with the ideas of President
Harding, who talked the draft over
with Senator Borah recently.
/ What Bill Provides
Senator du Pont, of Delaware. suggest
ted an amendment which was adopted
1t requires the proposed commission. in
a ADDITION to it's other Inquiries, to- in
lyeatilgate and make Recommendations
Eon the Standardization as far as pos
lsible of sthe amount of work man
4 shall perform for reasonable wage. .
! 1. After the committee had gone over
& the bill in detail and adopted ameud-
s| ments, at was ordered reported out on
motion of Senator du Pont.
The bill, as now shaped, provides for
4 a commission, of five members. to he
known as the United States Coal Com
Z mission. The five members are TO rem
resent tRe public. They will he an
4 pointed by the President by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate.
he pay is fixed gat $1,000 year. Life
{ OF the commission is one year and #
IS to make its first report and recon- :
mendations, not later than five months
\ from passage 5of the measure. The
Il original time was nine months.
The bill provides that "it shall he
II the duty of said commission 10 IN
yestlgate fully the conditions. ascer-
4 tam the facts and study the questions
relating to the coal industry. with y
4 view OF aiding, assisting and advising
a the Congress relative TO legislation
IA either in fho 2 ~ ~