Norwich bulletin., 1922-07-24
To Arrange For the
 Distribution of Coal
Secretary Hoover is to Meet
 Today Operators From the
 Coal Producing Districts of Six States.

Washington, July 2S (By the A. P.)- Operators from the coal producing dis
 trlcts of six states will be asked tomor
 row by Secretary Hoover to cooperate
 with the government and the railroads in plan to insure the distribution of
 fuel to the carriers and public utilities
 and to prevent profiteering during the strike emergency.
 All angles of MT. Hoover's scheme, which contemplates the formation of a central committee to operate through local committees in the producing dis tricts of Virginia, West Virginia, Ten l nessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Ala bana, were threshed out today at a se-
 ries of conferences of the federal agen- cies involved. Before the opening of the meeting at 10 o'clock tomorrow
 morning MT. Hoover will have from At ] tor1ley General Daugherty a report on | the powers aceruing to the government l in the emergency through the co-opera- 1 tion Of the interstate commerce commls- | sion and its authority under the law
 regulating interstate commerce.
 1 h general, Mir. Hoover's program was understood to contemplate the creation of an emergency machine with the com l mittee including representatives iron | the departments of commeA oN, justice 1 interior and the interstate commerce
 commission, with the commerce secre l tary as chairman, operating through the l local committees esta blished in the pro l ducing districts at the time of the vol untary agreements fixing maximum fat prices.
 1 Pooling of coal in the producing dis l tricts, and distribution of cars under I preferential system to be instituted un der authority of the interstate commerc commission is planned to permit Of tn marshalling of fuel at the most availa i ble points for quick shipments to tn l destinations where most needed. Co operation between the railroads and tn Il interstate commerce cofnmission woul 1 make possible adequate supply of car
 and establishment of a freight enpars
 if necessary, to facilitate fuel move ment.
 Representatives of the operators an the railroads are to be drafted into ser
 vice as administrative aids to the cen
 tral committee to provide direct contac with those industries.
 ] Price maintenance is to be sough
 through efforts to obtain a more ger eral observance on the part of small or } orators of the voluntary price agree
 nlents already in force and by co-opers ton on the part of the railroads to pre } vent competitive bidding sending co;
 prices skyward.
 , While MT Hoover's scheme was dt clared to be based on the cooperation ( : the parties at. interest in continuing th t distribution of cea9s the authority otS tI ' interstate commerce. commission to al l in emergency in behalf of ineerstat s commerce was held 10 be the goverl : ments trump" card. To this end, al , pointment of representatives of the con 2 mission to local committees was consic : cred as enabling the operation of tt
 program should cooperative efforts e any district fall short.
 s Primarily, MT. Hoover has indicate r Insurance of coal supplies to the raj : roads is the object of the distributic V scheme, with industries producing ne n essities, public utilities and similar coI 3 sumers to be taken care of as the 8 needs become imperative, while at tf : same time the fuel requirements of tf | New England states and the Grei d Lakes regions are to be met.
 = High officials expressed the belief u . day that the plan would work automat = cally to prevent undue price advance e and enable the desired fuel distrfbutio g Shorn of legal technicalities, it was e; V plained, the plan would enable the il d terstate commerce commission, with i d duly constituted authority to hold u l. whip hand over the coal producing field r Should prices advance unduly in any | o cality, it was asserted, the commissiC
 could withhold coal allocation uni
 prices re 2 ned to levels in proportit
 to the other districts while coal on F loaded could be given the right of v;
 over all other traffic for immediate shi . 1 ment.