Evening star., 1923-09-24
commission URGES
| COAL SUPERVISION
s.avors Lincensing Dealers
and Operators by Govern
| ment in Final Report.


Declaring that to deal effectually
with the national coal industry the
government must so beyond "contin-
uous fact-finding and publicity. the
Coal Commission in its final report to
President Coolidge recommends gov
ernment supervision through exer-
else of its interstate commerce pow
ers
Direct responsibility for such su-
pervision, the commission believes.
should be lodged in a specially Gre
ated division of the Interstate Com
merce Commission. operating through
a system of licensing, to include
dealers as well as producers
Summary of Basic Evils.
Reiterating many of the recon-
mendations in its previous reports on
special phases of the industry, the
commission. in the report published
today. summarized the basic evils
which government regulation, it be-
lieyed. should largely mitigate. At
the same time the commission says
the largest opportunity for putting
the coal industry in order lies with
the industry itself"
The fundamental evil in the an
thracite industry, the report said, lies
in its monopollstic feature. To pro-
tect the public interest in this regard
the commission suggested the levy of
q graded tax on royalties and differ
entail profits. While this would not
lower the price of coal, the commits
sion said, 1t would, secure u public
wit gf
In the availability of substitutes for
hard coal, 1t was said, the public
holds in it's own hands the main rem
edy for extortionate prices.
Oyerdevelopment, trregularity of
operation and uneconomic distribu-
tton as to rail carriage were sum
married as the basic evils of the btu
minous industry. A federal super
vision. policy. the report said. should
include not only natural limitation
of marketing area by the adjustment
of freight rates, but also encourage
ment for the consolidation of coal
companies, under conditions ade
quately protecting the public inter
est.
Importance of Coal,
Declaring that in the life of the
average citizen the problem of fuel
is subsidiary only to food and
water" the commission urged that it
be handled by IAN effective agency,
powers at its disposal' and charged
with direct responsibility.
The report said: THE coal industry
like other industries. but with excep-
tional c1earness. reveals two distinct
and contrasting tendencies in man
agement. There is one animated by a
purely acquisitiv and exploiting
spirit. He is rightly called a profiteer,
and the public instinct which de-
mands that he be exposed and ulti-
mately forced out of business is
sound. Management for effective
service to the public is the second of
the tendencies mentioned. and the
commission is convinced that tthis
tendency is clearly in the ascendant.
The coal industry can reform itself
from within"
Recommendations made in earlier
reports on special phases of the in
dustry were reiterated in the final
report. Facilities for publishing data
on coal production. wages and other
vital statistics should be made per-
, manent. the commission said, and
recorded that the bituminous oper-
ators special committee had just filed
with the commission tentative plan
looking to such an organization which
would be- under government super
vision.
Necessity for Facts.
"The first step toward protection of
the public interest" the report de-
clared, "is a better public understand
ing of the coal business. Guided by
facts rather than rumors, by informa-
tion rather than prejudice, the people
will be able to exercise wisely the
powers of the government over this
type of private business.
Both to protect the public and to
promote the normal development of