Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-06
The Coal Inquiry.

BY virtue of two resolutions adopted
by the Senate yesterday, the Senate
District committee is authorized to in
veStigate the coal situation in Wash
ington and, in order to ascertain the
facts relating to prices paid and
charged by dealers, to send for per-
sons, books and papers" and to ad
minister oaths. Under this authority
the committee. perhaps through a sub
committee. can get all the facts rela-
tive to the fuel traffic In the District
and ascertain whether there has been
undue protiteering in supplying fuel to
the people of the Capital.
This is not a new question. 1t has
been often investigated. The fuel
dealers of Washington have been put
on the carpet" by congressional COM
mitteeS virtually every time there has
been fuel shortage. Nothing has
come OF these Investigations, for
usually by the time they are concluded
the emergency which created the con-
dltions under which they have been
ordered has passed.
Still it IS desirable to hold this in
quiry in order to secure d definite
answer to the question that has been
so pointedly and frequently raised
since the strike began last September,
whether there Is profiteering in Wash
ington in supplying fuel to the people.
Under its present powers the Senate
committee can or should get to the
bottom Of the situation. 1t can get the
books of the coal merchants, wholesale
and retail: it can take testimony under
oath: it can conduct its inquiry with
all the authority of a court, and If 1t
fails to ascertain the facts 1t will be
due to undetected deception or sus-
tanned defiance of its authority by
witnesses subpoenaed by 1t.
There has been much confusion of
mind regarding the prices that have
been charged and paid in the District
as doubtless everywhere else in the
country during the strike-arising
from the different grades of coal used
and the different sources from which
it is obtained. Never before has
such wide range Of domestic fuel
been used. The people, adopting sub
stitutes as on no other occasion, have
been burning oil, coke and many kinds
of bituminous. That there has been
some profiteerng is plain. That all
dealers have been SO engaged In ex-
torting undue profits from the helpless
public is not to be believed. 1t may
be impossible for the inquiry by the
Senate committee to cover the whole
field to find out precisely who is who"
in the fuel market in this respect. But
in general it should be easily possible
to ascertain the trend of the trade.
Dealers who have dealt fairly in this
situation should welcome the oppor-
tunity to set forth the facts, even at
the expense of a public disclosure Of
their books. Others, If there be others,
will not relish the uncovering of price
lists. There may be some. who have
been scrupulously fair in their dealings
with customers, who will deny the
need Of broadcasting of their bust
ness relations. But the committee has
the power and they have no recourse
save to challenge that authority, which
is likely to be losing expedient. Far
better will 1t be to show a frank dis
position to spread the records on the
committee table, although there is
small chance that any conclusions
which the committee may reach will
be in season to yield results in this
present emergency.