Evening star., 1925-12-10
WARR|NER SCORES
P|NCHOT PROPOSAL
Anthracite Leader Declares
Coal Peace Plan is
Impracticable.

Holding out no hope for early
peace i'll the hard coal industry
Samuel d. Warriner. chairman OF the
anthracite operators conference, IL
an address here today before the
American Mining Congress, described
as "chimericaT and ''impracticable
Gov Pinchot's recent proposals for
cessation of the industrial war in the
anthracite fields.
Prom a practical standpoint, Mr
Warrinnr declared, "the Governor. Of
PENNSYLVANIA might just as well have
divided a pot of gold at the, end of
a rainbow, as to expect that his
propuSition would promote the inter-
cstS Of the industry and its workers
and ut the same time satisfy the rea =
aouable expectations of the conSuEl :
ing public.
Speaking from the same platform
n few minutes before, Secretary of
Labor Davis told the congress that
the malady from which the bitumi
nC.us coal industry suffers today is
oNer-dCVelOpment. He expressed a
tirrn belief that creation of IA fact
finding commission" within the in
GuStry itself suggests the most aCceS
Sihle means of solving the problems
that affect the stability of operation
and employment in the soft coal fields.
Touches Upon Strike.
Secretary Davis referred only
briefly to the feud in the anthracite
field but. in. q few words he strongly
iutimated that the Federal administra-
ton does not look with favor upon
suggestions for Government inter
vention and arbitration at this time.
Compulsory arbitration has never
found favor with the American work
or 1r employe, he said. and voluntary
arbitration usually results in more
compromises.
Mr.. Warriner. too. was unsparing
In his condemnation OF government
interference, declaring early in his
address: The specter of Government
intervention. regulation and control,
as we'll as the opportunities afforded
for possible governmental operation
or ownership of the anthracite mines,
have often interfered with economic
settlement.
While some people living along the
Atlantic seaboard who have been ac-
cuStOmed to burn anthracite look
upon it as being invested with Ger
tain public interest. inasnluch as these
people may freely use other fuels. and
are doing so IN increasing numbers, it
seems clear that anthracite coal is in
no sense an essential commodity.
.'The present attempted State inter
vention in Pennsylvania ignores these
commercial factors as well as all legal
restriction imposed by Federal
statutes"
Turning abruptly from the at
tempted state intervention to the pos
SihiIity of interference by congress
sional action, Mr. Warriner declared
that unless it can be proved that
anthracite is an essential and can
command at all times monopoly
price. there is no warrant that the
treatment accorded it should differ
from that accorded other mining and
Industrial enterprises"
ANY control of price" he added,
Inevitably presumes that whatever
price may be set can be obtained. Con-
troll of methods of operation and dis
tribution must conform to such regu-
latiOns as are imposed upon other
products of industry"
Mr.. Warriner thought President
Coolidge should be supported in his
Government commission to compile
facts" He said there should also be
agencies of mediation and conciliation
to promote voluntary arbitration
''AS President Coolidge said in his
message to Congress" MIR. Warriner
concluded. Those who seek the pro-
lection of civilizatio should be ready
to Use the methods of civilization
The commonsenSe of the American
people should compel peaceful adjudi-
cation of disputes by the rules of
reason and logic, rather than by a re-
sort to industrial warfare"