The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-12-16
OPERATQRSBUSY
WITH ANSWERS
missionaries Being Mailed
TO the Fact Finding Com.
/, mission In Washington.

r. h, ~ -
Some real hard work Is being
done BY coal company attaches
these days on the Questionable
incident to the coal industry
which Is being sent to the Fact
Finding Commission. The state
rpents are sworn TO before the
cues aonnalre Is mailed to the
eommission.
Quite few queshonnaires
Sttre sent into the commission by
the time spectded, which was yes-
terdayg but II Is safe to presume
that many Of them have not gone
forth.
Today,s issue Of the Coal Trade
4 Bulletin, Pittsburgh. OF which,
Robert q. Virgin ia editor. will
garry the following comment on
he coal questionnaire:
What Is 1t! all about, Who
wants to know? What good Is it?N
How am / going TO fill 1t out?
These questions are the main
point o. speech with many coal
mine operators after the letter
was recently received from the,
United Coal o Commission.
This QUESTIONABLE Us the first
! Of 3 SERIES that may be expected
IN DIE Immediate future. 1t Is the
Cont lsston's attemptto pene4
trate, into the coal mining busi-
ness In the bitumihous coal fields.
q careful examination Of its COZ.
tentss will sreyeal the fact, that It
~ q intention OF the commits.
kslonl TO comb the coal business
and industry for facts. Any flea.
ture Clipping past, will have TO be
small enough to pass through a
fine tooth comb.
Without counting the answers
related interested persons and as.
sociations will file. there will be
answers from coal operators,
brokers! and retailers. Each OF
thtses units answering las ques-,
lions, would give the commission
about 5,000,000 answers. These
answers will cover only one tea
tlre Of the investigation. The to-
tai number Of all answers the
commission will probably receive
Will be around the, half billion
mark. What gigantic lnvestiEa.
ton this will be when Completed,
@rhissis intended to be a mu.
ttials benefit feature whose sole!
purpose Is the promotion Of the
coal business on a plan OF greateri
efficiency and accuracy than now
CARRIED on. Actual cost figures,
proven ways better means and
susestions for lettering the coal
business. will be available to aly
Interested person, after the facts
lnd figures have been tabulated
from this tremendous undertak-
ms al
There Is no thought OF profit,
NO selfish motive and no biased
actions on the part OF those spons
soring the commissions invests
CATION, except the indirect profits
which sare sure to come TOT the
whole industry and the Public,
thfough sthe development Of I'M.
proved business methods, aud t!ls,
eltminatlonSof wasteful ana Ii.
efficient practices. ~.
Following this QUESTIONABLE
an&her is in preparation. Ills
one has for Its purpose the exact
,ietermination OF the number OF
spersons in the industry. 1t will re.
quire each operator to give the
number Of all persons on their
payroll during tho past year. It
VIII require the exact number OF
honrs per day worked by these
employees individually, together
With their earnings sem-montbly
Asa result. the overhead ex-
penses will be increased once
more
In order that this feature Of
the commission may function EFT
GENTLY and properly; II Ia necas.
sarS that answers to these cues.
tlonnaires be as nearly uniform as
possible in the same coal field
where operations are in the same
seam. a system functioning Ike a
clearing house, and established in
each coal field center, will be of
Great assistance to the Comma
sion.
ssThes lost Of this movement has
been estimated at four miles per
ton Of output on members OF the
association. The cost 70 run for slx
months. as OF October TO March.
II Wonld>seem this ARRANGEMENT
would beswelcomed by operators,
especially the samller ones. VINO
could not afford to get Individual
representation. -
IN order that these answers
may be accurately prepared and
properly presented. Individual %.
GRAZING Organizations would bene-
1T by5combiaing In one general
ORGANIZATION at certain central
points. This would allow this
business to be transacted with eE.
iciency and dispatch.
SIT Is hoped that operators will
Set together and present their
case To the commission. so that
the searchlight thrown ION the
b1siness win reveal the fact that
they have nothing, to hide. and
thereby establish for themselves a
position IN the public's eye, TO
which they are Justly entailed.