The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-30
MINE DEPARTMENT
 SOUGHT BY ODD|E
Coal Supervision Legislation To Be Pressed By Chairman
 Of Senate Committee

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.-Senator Oddie, chairman of the committee on mines and mining, today said that he would press for legislation to con- trol the coal industry. The neces- sity for action, he said, was shown in the recent investigations by the coal committee headed by John Hays Hammond.
 Senator Oddie is of the opinion that one way to bring about more effective government supervision would be the creation of a depart ment of mines, which would have power over coal transportation siml- lar to that of the interstate com merce commission over the railroads.
 "Ths would mean that all the necessary machinery for investisa- tion and research with authority to promptly act in cases of emergency, would be under a single head, which would at all times have at disposal all the facts and statistics upon which to make recompendations in case trouble should arise, and to supply Congress and the President with all requisite information as basis for legislation whenever legis- lation was necessary" Senator Oddie declared.
 Tn my opinion. such an arrange ment would entirely do away with the frequently recurring periods of paralysis In the industry because or labor disputes and other obstacles functioning of its many branches The history of the coal mining i'm dustry in this country demonstrates very clearly to my mind the utter futility of attempting to insure an uninterrupted and satisfactory coal supply by depending upon such scat tered government agencies as now exist.
 T have introduced a bill for the creation of 8 department of mines, which has been referred to this com mittee, and into which can be in- corporated the provisions necessary for adequately dealing with the problems of production, transporta- tion, marketing. storage and con sumption in connection with the coal mining industry.
 Another phase of tho question, which, in my opinion, deserves most careful consideration, is that oI pure fuel. In the metal mining indus- try, processes have been In use Tor many years which reparate the pure metal from the ore and other forelgn substances before the metal Is mar keted. The facilities to be proVloeo by the government for fuel stuoy and research will without oolps show that similar processes can De developed and practically applied to coal.
 "Efforts toward economies in fuel combustion have been made py the larger users of coal in the lnous trial field, but the great army or household consumers would greatly benefit by the results to be obtalneu through a coal bureau in depart ment of mines. Producers and con sumers should begin to think of fuel costs In terms of heat units.
 Senator Oddie declared that the f,,el report of the coal commlssloh' from which he quoted excerpts, show ed the need of central government agency to supervise the coal mining industry. Among the excerpts "efe the following: .,,,nr
 eve look forward to the workihs ont under federal supervision or a national coal policy commensurate with the importance of the coal lh- dustry. have
 "The citizens of our country nave right to expect as much assistance from the government in the matte of their fuel supply as they hsVe re ceived from 1t in connection MIe" their food supply, through the pro yision which has been made TOT ereat department, with thorougnly sauipped, spcializd and tchflCai hnreats. to study and solve the prop lems of the agricultural industry "N they arise"