Evening star., 1922-04-09

busying themselves In an
effort to find some means of getting
the industry into operation again-of
preventing catastrophe which
threatens other industries and the
workers of the country.
The House committee on labor is
conducting an Investigation of the
situation. 1t has undertaken. if pos
sible. to bring the operators and the
union leaders into conference to set
tie their differences. On the Senate
side of the Capitol there is. an in
clination to walt and see if the House
committee is able to develop some
plan to end the intolerable situation.
However. Senator Borah of Idaho.
now chairman Of the committee on.
education and labor, recently gave
utterance to the following significant
statement on the Senate floor:
1T may be that. owing to the law
as it now stands and the situation as
we find it, the government is in a
sense helpless. but certainly the gov
ernment is not going to remain help
less; certainly we are not going to
consent to a recurring catastrophe.
which happens about once year, all
the expense of which is finally borne
by the public"
WARTIME LEVER ACT
NO Logger EFFECTIVE
The question naturally arises. what
is the government going to do about
1t. and what can it 90? 1t is admitted
that legislation will be required. The
Lever act-a wartime measure under
which the government -exerted its
strong arm during the last admins
tration to halt a coal strike-is no
longer effective. having expired with
the proclamation of peace.
Three alternatives present them
selves-there are, of course, others.
But the three which already are in
the minds of the Legislators for deal
ing with the coal situation are:
1. A tribunal somewhat similar to
the railroad labor board. created by
the Esch-Cummins transportation
law, to act as mediator in contro-
versies arising between the mine op-
orators and the workers.
9 Government regulation of cbal
prices.
&. 3. Government ownership of z.ths
coal properties
The last is extremely drastic. 1t
is unlikely that it will come; certain
~ it will not come unless the gov
ernment is forced into it. Neverthe-
less, 1t is one of the alternatives that
has presented itselef for considera-
tion.
ALL PEOPLE INTERESTED
IN COAL INDUSTRY.
The coal industry is one of the
basic industries of the country. The
entire people is vitality interested in
it. scarcely less so than in transporta-
ton. 1t is an industry that is essen
TALLY interstate-probably 95 per
cent of the coal mined, it is said.
enters into interstate commerce. And
the control Of the federal government
over interstate commerce Is very
wide, as the laws now on the statute
books dealing with it indicate. The
Supreme Court has many times recog-
nized, too. the right of the govern
ment to control, when necessary, COM
modities that are of vital interest to
the public. Prices are fixed for
transportation through the power
over interstate commerce and may be
hxed for coal in the same manner, 1t
Is argued.
The establishment of the Railroad
Labor Board has come nearer to set
ting up the principle Of compulsory
arbitration of labor disputes than any
other act so far taken by the federal
government. Back of the Railroad
Labor Board stands the power Of pub
lie opinion-a tremendous power in
tht. country-to enforce obedience to
the decisions Of this board The
boards decisions already. have been
far-reaching in their effect
KENYON BILL PROVIDES
PLAN OF ARBITRATION.
Just before he left the Senate to
become a federal Judge. William 8.
Kenyon introduced in the Senate .
bill to provide for the settlement OF
disputes between employers and en-
ployes in the coal mining business; to
establish a board for the adjustment
of such disputes: to stabilize the con-
ditions of production. Judge Kenyon
was at the time chairman OF the SEN
ate committee on education and labor,
and his bill is now on the docket OF
that committee awaiting considera-
ton, Two other measures dealing
with the coal industry also introduced
by Senator Kenyon are before the
committee. One Of them is a general
.,.> nrovidinp for the utmost
publicity with regard to matters peri
tanning to the coal industry, through
governmental agencies, including the
interstate Commerce Commission, the
Federal Trade Commission and tne
geological survey. In case OF an
emergency, power is given to the
President not only to FIX prices, but
also to take over and operate the coal
mines, with proper remuneration to
the owners of the coal properties.
The other is a bill aimed particu-
1arly at the coal operators who at
tempt to profiteer. 1t defines prof.
teering in coal and provides punish
ment for the profiteers.
PUBLIC HAD A TASTE
OF COAL SHORTAGE
In recent years, the public has suf-
fered particularly from the impose
tion Of high prices for coal During
the war, in the winter of 1917-191S,
when the government assumed con-
troll through the fuel administration,
tho public suffered from lack OF
coal, first because Of the extraordi-
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