The New York herald., 1922-05-07
Measure Creates Commission
to Inquire Into Regulation
sla of Production.
PLAN TO AVERT WASTE
Report Follows Herald Sug-
gestion to Stabilize Industry,
r" Employment and Price.
scsoial Dispatch to The New YORK HERALD.
rev York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., May q.

E0W YORK Herald Buredus [
Washington, ID. c., May 9.
The report Of the House Committee on
Labor on the Bland bill to establish a
Federal coal Investigation commission of
tan members was a live topic Of discus
sion to-day. AS recently suggested edi-
torially in THE NEW YORK HERALD, Cow
ernment supervision Is needed in the
coal industry, the committee declared.
because of the great Importance of,coal
irfsthe general scheme Of life and also
BECAUSE of the vast over development OF
coal mining.
There are approximately one-third too
many coal mines. and one-third too
many miners for the proper commercial
Operation and development of the coal
Industry, the committee said. The sea-
sonable character of coal purchases was
blamed for the condition Of over de-
velopment.
! THE committee declared that the Gov
erRment alone, by carefully studying
conditions in the coal industry. through
an agency proposed in the Bland bill,
would be able to find the remedy to pre-
vent this great economic waste and
pbfiodical upheaval over the question or
wages. Here are the chief features in
the report of the committee:
Information Is Lacking.
a,'1t is estimated that there are 1900
coal mines in the United States, The
chief existing fact gathering agency on
most subject matters covered in our in
quiry is the Geological Survey. On
some subjects their reports covered
$500 mines. On many subjects, only
20D mines were reported upon, while
much information of great value to the
committee could not be supplied from
this source. The Department of Labor
statistics was equally lacking in definite.
detailed and reliable information cover
ing any considerable number of mines
ssIt was ascertained tnar coal had
been sold in 1920 f. o. b. at mine at
uftces ranging from 81 to S12 ton ;
. hat during 1921, no reliable facts were
cbtainable further than those submitted
by the National Coal Association, which
showed for the limited number of mines
covered that an average of about SO
a ton was obtained; THAT coal had, dur
Ing 1921, been sold at the mines some
times at a loss to the producer. ana
that oftimes, before the coal reached
the consumer enormous profits were
added to the retail price by brokers'
selling agencies and retail dealers.
sr'The problem of how to prevent the in
dustry from being 'seasonable' has been
inquired into. The storage of coal dur
ing the summer has been suggested, to-
Eether with the objections and argu-
rr1ents against the practice.
IA cheaper summer freight rate for
coal also has been offered as an induce
nient to summer buying. 1t is entirely
probable that with the application of
proper remedy the unprofitable mine
and miner that works at the mine may
go out of the industry and that COM
petition among efficient. profitable
mines may reign throughout the year
and that cheap fuel may be obtainable
by the consuming public.
vital to Industrial Life.
"The proposition that cheap and
abundant supply of fuel is vital to the
Industrial life of the nation Is too plain
TO permit of augmentation. So much
depends upon coal that the industry has
become quasi-public in character and is
pf vital concern to our entire citizen
ship. The committee believes that the
bill, IL enacted into law, will enable
the coal investigating agency to obtain
facts upon which proper legislative or
executive action may be taken for all
the purposes assigned in the bill No
existing agency of the Government has
the powers granted 60 IT now tnat is
granted in the bill"
Referring to the Bland BILL the re-
port states
"This bill sets out as the purpose of
the agency the right of Congress to
obtain information as a basis for legis-
lation to (a) settle industrial disputes
IN and to prevent the overdevelopment
I'm the coal industry. (b) to stabilize
such industry and levy taxes In respect
thereto, (c) to regulate commerce IN
toal among the several States and with
foreign nations. td) to provide coal
supply for the maintenance of the navy
and the merchant marine and (e) to
protect the coal supply for the District
OF Columbia and for the magazines. ar
senals. dock yards and other public
buildings OF the United States outside
the District of Columbia"
Representative Bland Ind), author
of the bill, and Representative Nolan
alCal.), chairman of the Committee on
Labor. are planning to take 1t before
the Steering Committee OF the House
and later the Rules Committee. so that
Jt may be brought up on the floor as
soon as possible.