The Washington herald., 1922-08-04
President and Advisers
Have Several Sugges-
Z tiOns to Consider.
RAIL RECEIvERSHIP
URGED AS SOLUTION
Gompers Gathers Data to
Demand Congress
Investigation.

Accelerated Importation OF ior-
eign coal to care for the Eastern
seaboard; diversion Of Eastern coal
to hard-pressed Middle and North
western States: cooperation OF IN
dustries not vitality needing coal
and a period Of probation for coal
operators and raj, executives
This, in a word. is the counsel
given President Harding by those
operators, rail executives. indus
trial leaders and some members OF
his oficial family, who are willing
and anxious-to let the two great
national strikes go through to
finish fight.
Harding conferred with Chairman
Lasker. of the Shipping Board. and
twice with Secretary Hoover yes
terday. preparatory to launching a
full discussion OF the strike situa-
tion before his Cabinet today.
Hint Of Drastic Action.
The only other development was
an official hint of another possible
course Of drastic action" implied
in the assertion of a high official
that the President had emergency
authority to place both railroads
and mines under a Federal re-
ceivership, get the men back TO
work on new contracts and later
turn the properties back after the
emergency had passed. The cost OF
such a venture, however, would be
tremendous. as evidenced by the
great sums the government has
been compelled to pay back to the
roads, growing out Of Federal op-
Grafton during the war. Neverthe-
less II is known the administrator
is contemplating some such line OF
action with the idea Of first taking
over the railroads feeding non
union coal fields II necessity die
tates, and broadening this course In
case Of extreme emergency.
Final decision on the administra-
tion's next step In the combined
industrial upheavals probably viii
await decisions reached at todays
Cabinet meeting. 1t is the grow
ing conviction OF Mr.. Harding's
Senatorial advisors that he will
permit both situations to simmer
along" for some days to see
whether coal can be produced and
the railroads can be efficiently op-
Grated under the strike conditions
United states Poorly Equipped.
Meantime. officials supporting the
Presidents course in hesitating to
take one OF the several lines OF
drastic action that repeatedly
have been solemnly suggested by
different spokesmen, declare:
First THAT the United States
government is the poorest equipped
of any government in the world
for handling any emergency save
that of war.
Second-That any drastic action
including the priority coal ship
ping plan authorized by the Inter
state Commerce Commission - the
government might undertake with
out further empowering legislation
from Congress, would hang on
dangerously slender legal thread"
In line with this thought. DR.
George Otis Smith. director of the
National Geological Survey, reveals
the amazing fact that today there
is positively no accurate informa-
ton on the actual coal stocks on
hand in the country.
Furthermore, for some reason or
another, the public generally does
not know the exact condition Of
railway equipment as a result Of
the strike. If the rail and mine
strikes are permitted by the ad-
ministration to go on to finish,
the railway equipment question
will become a paramount issue be-
fore many more weeks, in two
ways:
Gompers Contemplates Action.
First-President Gompers of the
A. F. Of. l., is gathering informa-
tion as a basis for demanding a
Congressional investigation of al
legged laxity by the Interstate Com
merce Commission in Furnishing al
legged violations of the Federal
locomotive inspection laws. Pri-
vate information from officials in
a position to know the condition Of
rail equipment at the present time
indicates that on most roads. ex-
cept those which have farmed out
their shop work, cars and locomo-
tives in need of repair are show
ing an increasingly large percent
age.
Second-The railroad brother
Continued on PAGE Tsco.