Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-08
SENATE PASSES
BILL To CHECK
COAL PROFITS
Measure to House for
Conference; Commits
sion Provided for.
Powers Of |. c. G. En-
larged Under Provis-
ions of New Measure.

Washington, Sept. with only
seven negative votes recorded, the
senate late Thursday passed the first
of the emergency coal bills-the house
measure designed to check profiteer-
ing and control the distribution of coal.
The vote was 40 to Z, and the meas
ure as amended was sent to conference
for adjustment of differences with the
house. Passage of the bill was fol-
lowed by consideration of the fact
finding committee measure, but action
on it was deferred by sudden and at
times heated debate over provisions
which would direct the commission to
study the question of naturalization
of the mines along with other phases
of the industry. Before quitting for
the day, the commission bill was
amended to direct the agency to make
a separate and distinct investigation
of the anthracite industry and to in
Quire into any organized relation
ships" between miners and operators,
if they exist. The change was di-
rect result of the recent settlement OF
the anthracite tieup, and Senator
Borah, republican, Idaho, sponsor of
withdrawn the measure from consld-
Grafton in order to await developments
of the anthracite peace negotiations
The committee is ordered to make its
report on the anthracite inquiry not
later than July 1, next year, which
would be one month in advance of the
expiration of the wage contract for
that industry A report on the btu
minous industry is due under the bill
in five months from date of passage.
An effort by Senator Shields, demo-
crat, Tennessee, to amend the bill so
that representatives of both miners
and operators would be specifically
prohibited from membership on the
commission was rejected. but only
after Senator Borah had said he
agreed with it. but desired in the in
terest of harmony" not to inject that
feature into the bill
The fight on whether the commits
sion should be directed to inquire into
the advisability of naturalization is
expected to be resumed Friday as
result of an amendment to strike out
that section. Senator Sterling. repub-
lican. South Dakota. opposed the pro-
vision because of the extra work
which, he said, would be required of
the commission in studying "specu-
lative" proposition.
Senator Borah denied insinuatiOns
that the proposition would lead to
open issues, but added that, even if 1t
did. there can be no solution of any
question by lodging and evading.
1T can be decided" he went on.
"only by ascertaining the facts and
dealing with them in the establishment
of a policy"
The Idaho senator also asserted that
the commission proposed by the bill
was not IAN ordinary one to gather
lot of incoherent data to be dumped
into the waste basket of congress.
What he hoped it would be was a com
TO gather the facts. assemble
them and make recommendations from
the findings thus developed.
Senator Cummins, republican. Iowa.
who had introduced bill similar 70
the public anti-profiteering measure.
announced he would seek early action
in conference The house, however,
will not be in session until Monday,
and no action can come on the bill be-
fore that time.
The measure, besides creating fed
eral fuel distributing agency and the
post of federal fuel administrator. con-
fers broad powers on the interstate
commerce commission with respect to
pmhargoes on coal shipments.