Evening star., 1923-07-21
CALLING CONGRESS
TO END MENACE Of
COAL FAMINE URGED
Representative TreadWay
Urges Special Session to
Fix Price of Anthracite.
ASKS LAW BE ENACTED
TO GOVERN DISTRIBUTION
Convinced Federal Control Is Vital
to Stay Acute Suffering
in Winter.

After conferences with the Presi-
dents Coal Fact-finding Commits
sion, with members of the Interstate
Commerce Commission and with the
federal fuel administrator. Repre-
sentative Allen T. Treadway of
Massachusetts, a member of the House
ways and means committee, today an
nounced that he believes it impera-
tive that the President call a spe-
clai session of Congress as soon as
possible to deal with the anthracite
coal question.
representative Treadway is con-
! Vlnced that legislation is nncessar,-
creating federal agency to eutab-
iish fair price for coal and to reg
ulate its distribution, in order n
1orestal the misery that is inevitable
next winter unless consumers are en-
aoieu 10 get their anthracite coal
supplies now.
TO Urge Harding to Act.
AS soon as President Harding re-
turns from his Alaskan trim Renre-
sentative Treadway intends IN coo
MIN and personally urge upon him
the necessity for calling Conpress a.
special session to consider the renort
u the 1act finding commission
'oeether with the Presidents recon-
Ihehoatlons In the meantime he,
himself, accompanied by members OF
the Massachusetts coal commission.
! intends to visit the anthracite mines
In pennsylvania to fortify himself
to make d fight for relief Legislation
"hlch he says he will have ready
70 urge in the House as soon as tha
Presldent calls Congress together. He
expresses confidence that President
Harding Will take such action.
representative Treadway is inn
pelled TO this action primarily by
conditions as he found them after
carefui personal investigation in
western Massachusetts, but says that
reports he has received and his CON
| ferences with members of the fact
| nnding commission, the Interstate
commerce Commission and the fed
eral fuel administrator make him
| believe that the general situatinn
| demands such action
May Ask States Act.
If the President does not act al
once to relieve the Impending SUI
fering by making it possible for tn.
people TO get domestic fuel before the
| coal weather starts, Representative
Treadway will back a move for a
gressional delegations from the New
England states, to demand remediaI
Legislation.
Cost May Reach SIS.
Representative Treadway says: "w.
| must frst find out if there is coIIusion
between independent dealers and tho
companies. For time the peopIe
could not get any coal Now they
can get plenty of coal if they are
willing to pay outside prices. The
Pennsylvania commission last winter
set the fair price of so per cent of tbs
anthracite coal at the mines at IS to
$500. Conditions are identical today.
but the price is running from sll to
$3.50 at the mines
The only coal that is being de-
liVered to dealers in New England
today at fair prices is by the Della
ware d Hudson Company. which is
Keeping its agreement with its Gus
toners. The prices above are at the
mines and for gross tons. while de-
liVerles TO consumers are at net tons.
so that with cost of TRANSPORTATION
the price runs up to SIC and S17 now
with strong likelihood that it will
soon be SIS.
Demand 81 Profit.
IF the situation continues and we
DO not get the so-called company
coal. the dealers cannot continue to
deliver to the consumers at $l6 and
SIT, because the coal is now costing
them that. The average freight on
coal to western Massachusetts is So
Why is it that every dealer in
western Massachusetts has quotations
from middlemen at $11.50 and $3.50
at the mines. while they cannot get
deliveries from the companies with
which they regularly deal?
In some way the middleman has "A
practical monopoly of the market.
The dealers used to be satisfied with
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