Evening star., 1923-09-07
COAL COMMISSION
TO EXPIRE SOON
Goes Out of Existence in Two
Weeks Despite Threat of
Anthracite Strike.

Expiration by Limitation OF the
weeks hence. when the terms of office
of the six commissioners expire. will
leave the federal government, broad
Iy speaking, without an agency MAX
ing direct and intimate contact with
the major figures in the coal indus
try. :
FedeEal agencies dealing in the
abstract with coal--notabiy the In
terstate Commerce Commission, in
the transportation end, the Depart
ment of Labor, in the labor contro-
versy end and the Department Of
Commerce, whose duty it is to Sc"
that the wheels of commerce are kept
| turning smoothly-remain.
Work Completed.
The work Of the commission has
| been completed. with the exception
Of the issuance of the last chapter
in a series Of reports which have
opened up the facts in the coal in
! known before. one Of these reports
will be made public next week and
| the others will follow few days
apart. In the meantime the nation
| is at the beginning Of another coal
| strike.
f; The commission has succeeded IL
l establishing a basis for peace in the
+. bituminous industry, which insures
/ steady flow of soft coal at least until
next April, but 1t has failed in th@
! anthracite controversy.
Members of the commission. aC-
| eording to one of its number. hope its
reports will be carefully considered
| by Congress. and that the Legislative
body will enact legislation that will
/ help to promote lasting peace IN
| the coal industry. The work OF the
| commission has been thorough. 1t has
gone more deeply into this major in
dustry. than any similar body that haI
! gone before It. Experts from all coal
| consuming industries have appeared
| before it, Testimony has been gath
| cred from both operators and miners
| in an industry whose details arc dc
! clared to be more intricate as affect
! ing labor and capital than any other.
May Get Post Back.
| Chairman Hammond OF the com
mission will return to private life
/ George Otis Smith. formerly dircct"g
! Of the geological survey, will proba
! bly, be reappointed to his old post
| After he was appointed TO the Coal
| Commission, his old post was NOT
! filled by appointment. although Dr.
! Phillip 5. Smith has been acting as
| director of the survey.
| The other members of the commits
sion. former Vice President Marshall.
\ 1ldTh f1O"ell OF AtldnId. L. i LEVINE
of Iowa and DR.. Charles 7. Neill Of
| Washington, will return to private life.
| Dissolution of the commission on
lSeptember % is coincident with the
expiration of the term OF oflce. Of
Francis r. Wadleigh, federal fuel
distributor. The office will be dis
continued. but the job of distributing
! coal Will go on as usual, strike or no
strike. under the administration Of
Mr.. Wadleigh. President Coolidge in
] dicated the other day that Mr. Nad-
leigh would continue in his present
capacity. attached either TO the Com
merce Department, from which he was
appointed. or to the Interstate Com
merce Commission. His job. at least
idurfng the early part of the winter.
will be chiefly one of transportation.
according to officials, and he will
probably be assigned to the commits
sion in charge of coal transportation.
Lambeth Palace. in England. con
| tains examples of every style of ar
! rhitecturn since 1lT0