The New York herald., 1922-08-29
PRESIDENT THINKS
MINE PEACE NEAR
Continued III First Page.

ident and his executive advisers. nut by
members of Congress who have con-
ferred with him. II IS felt tlal II
transportation OF coal can be speeded,
that Industrial catastrophe can be es-
capped.
After a lull OF day Congress will
take up strike legislation again to-mor-
row. The House Committee on Inter-
state and Foreign Commerce held a
session of severafShours to-day at which
1t was determined TO report out to-mor-
row the Winslow bill providing for en-
largement Of the powers of the Inter
state Commerce Commission to control
coal shipments and the movement OF
empty cars and to give an official status
to the fuel distributor. In the present
situation 1t is expected the bill will be
passed by the House though no special
rule has been provided.
Senator Cummins reported to the Sen
ate Interstate Commerce Committee the
results of his conferences with the Presi-
dent and II was agreed in the committee
TO report out the Cummins bill for in
creased power for the Interstate Com
merce Commission and for officially
creating the coal distribution agency.
Members OF the committee were not
committed to support OF the bill, but
1t cannot be taken up until after the
bonus bill is out of the way. and some
disposition Is made OF the Borah bill
providing for coal fact finding COM
mission, which probably will be taken
UP Wednesday.
Secretary Hoover appeared before the
House Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Committee and urged the immediate pas
sage Of the Winslow bill. Warning thai
the country will suffer a severe fuel
famine this winter, no matter how soon
normal coal production is resumed. Mr..
Hoover declared that enactment of legis-
lation depriving gouging coal operators
OF cars in which to ship their products
would enable the Government to make
the best Of very bad situation
Mr.. Hoover said there would have to
be production and successful movement
of 100000 or 100000 tons of coal
weekly for the next fifteen or twenty
weeks to restore normal distribution and
that this obviously was impossible.
If the situation continues to degen-
crate II may be necessary for the Gov
ernment to zone shipments OF coal along
the plan followed during the war to
prevent overlapping in shipments and
waste Of transportation facilities. Mr..
Hoover said.
Coal spectators, said Mr.. Hoover, are
"infesting mining sections, preying on
the public emergency by buying coal
from operators and selling at exorbitant
prices" The Winslow measure and the
Cummins bill in the Senate would reach
these worst of all profiteers." the Secre-
tary declared.
Edgar Wallace, legislative representa-
tive OF tho American Federation of
Labor, said he favored the Winslow bill
a.. 20 tad
distribution of coal but asserted the
measure should not be drafted SO that
the Federal fuel distributor would have
the power to fix the price of coal as 1t
leaves the mine, Authority to deny cars
to certain operators, he declared, would
amount to this price fixing power.
Chief Counsel p. J. Farrell of the In
terstate Commerce Committee, said he
believes the clauses giving the fuel dis
,tributor authority to refuse cars to
profiteering operators would be up
held by the courts under tho welfare
provisions of the commerce act.
In his statement 10 the committee Mr..
Hoover admitted that the Government
would be powerless unless properly
aided by State governments. to stop
profiteering i'm coal which Is transported
only within one State.
Outlining the acuteness or the fuel
famine, Mr.. Hoover pointed out that an
thracite production is 35,o00.0o0 tons
behind and that this can never be re-
covered" but must be made up, II at all,
by the substitution of bituminous.
Fuel Distributor Spencer announced
that as a result OF abandonment OF
supcr-priority except on lake shipments
coal would be permitted to move here
after as far as practicable under Inter-
state Commerce Commission classified
priorities.