, 1923-04-15

This failed. An injunction demanded
that the officers rescind the strike
order. the order was rescinded but
the miners went on strike November
l. just h anne. On December 10
an oner from the president direct to
the miners granted IA per cent i'm
mediate increase and question of
further increase to be determined by
the commission.
The story from the pubiic's point
of view has been the same in ali
these cases, exorbitant prices. moor
quality. suffering and no end OF IN.
convenience.
After studying this record. and
after having shivered through a fire.
less winter, one may feel a little
skepticsl as to what our present coal
commission is going to accomplish.
So far 1t seems to be running true
to form. Last September a commits,
sion was appointed by the president
to investigate and ind all the facts
that would have n bearing on the
solution Of the coal problem. In n
report to Congress on January is OF
this year. It took care not to commit
itself TO any definite recommenda.
tons. 1t did find that one funda.
mental u for instability in bitumi.
nous coal mining was surplus Of both
mines and miners.
Tho other findings OF the cnm.
mission indicate that II Is really
a~nalyzing the problem, but II looks az
though it must suffer the fate of most
such commissions. Now there are
three OF us in this coal problem.
Both miners and p~erators have been
loud in proclaiming their rights and
In demanding that their particular
pet schemes be enforced. ] should
like to propose a platform for the
most important member in this argu.
ment-the general public.
THE operators arguments boil
down to the contentA of the present
method. 1t is apparently just as
profitable to do business half of the
year at twice the profit and take a
vacation for the other six months as
Il is to work the round at q
normal profit.
THE miners plan is ingenious and
we'll calculated insofar as the wei.
fare of the miner is concerned. They
would have the government buy all
the Goa mines at a figure which they
set at $4,000, 900 900 and would then
have the government carry on oper-
atoms and sell coal to the public.
The scheme involves much machinery
for scientific determination of costs,
price ixings. and similar other nc
tivtties. Mine wages would become
a political issue which would be very
fine for tho miners. In addition 70
skI- E.-N aa.- 49, -.- -Na-f
nate competition and all necessity
for progress and economy in the in.
dustry. Coal, to be sure. might be
sold to the public at a lower price.
only to leave a huge deficit which
must be made up in increased taxes,
In the final accounting 1t probably
would cost you and I Just as much
or more than It does at present No
government can operate n business
as efficiently as a private owner.
Hence. from the consumers stand
point, the proposition TO have the
people buy the coal mines is not at
tractive. They already have had
enough of government operation in
connection with the railroads, the
building and operation of ships, and
the various other interests in which
the government took a hand during
the war.
Tho Problem
"what the consumer is interested
in is getting coal at a fair price when
he needs 1t. Everyone who has
studied the coal problem will agree
that the seat OF the trouble lies in
the fact that competition has becn
squeezed out Of the industry. The
reason all Of these troubles arise is
because the natural laws which
govern other lines of business have
been blocked. On the one hand they
have been thwarted through the or
ganization of labor; on the other hand
by the combination of the owners.
This, moreover IS the principal argu-
ment against government purchase OF
the coal mines. for such n plan IN
stead of Increasing competition would
bar It out entirely. The real prob
lem, therefore, is TO employ govern
ment authority only 80 far as It is