Evening star., 1926-03-31

| inca pacity TO manage the industry eff
| ciently. Three general strikes have
| occurred in the hard coal industry
! since the close of the war. Conditions
have been and are still chaotic in the
soft coal industry. 1t is obviously i'm.
| perative that the public assert its
right and take a hand in regulating
| this poorly managed industry. For
! the coal industry Is 80 bound up with
/ the public welfare that it can no
| longer he left uncontrolled and un-
| regulated.
| Representative Jacobstein said the
| consumer is paying for the cost of the
coal strike in enhanced prices for coal
now adding that the price of hard
coal has gone up far beyond the cost
of living and beyond the cost of wages.
! 1t has had to go up to maintain
! the high-cost mines. 1t Is a conflict
! not between two classes. but an eco.
nomic conflict, Perhaps some form Of
consolidation of coal mines will ulti-
mately be necessary, just as between
the railroads" Full publicity to pre-
vent excessive prices and to equaliZe
wages was urged by the New York
| Representative.
! Fundamental economic conditions
must be considered in seeking "A rem
| edy. In the anthracite fields we have
virtually a monopoly. with close
community of interest between the
principal mining companies and the
railroads The workers are completely
unionized. There is no assurance
whatever that the recent agreement
will give the public an uninterrupted
supply Of hard coal at reasonable
prices.
Strike Costs on Public.
The public has always borne the
cost of the strikes in the anthracite
industry When the recent strike was
settled. without a wage increase, it
was generally understood that the pub
lie would not be called upon to pay
| increased prices for coal. In spite
of this. the newspapers report that
4 the customary Spring reduction of so
| cents a ton will be omitted this year"
| Representative Treadway said the
| need for Federal regulation OF the
coal industry is apparent In the Dis.
| trict of Columbia, as shown by the
| recent Senate hearings and the atti-
| tude of the coal merchants of the
| District, which is similar to that
| shown throughout the country
| For instance. mining has been re-
| sumed under identical conditions as
| to cost as they existed before the
strike last September, but prices have
advanced from rs cents to $1.50 per
! ton.
! "On the production of 800 600 tons
a day, even at so cents per ton, ii
would mean an increase of $3.50. 900
| per day. We consider prices either
in the aggregated or in cost to indi
viduals. In either case the result is
against the public"
Tncroaso Sipco St,.;Ixa
! Representative Treadway also re-
| ferred to omission Of the customary
| so cents a tone reduction on April
/. prices have materially increased
since the strike" he said. "as shown
by Quotations and the further fact
! of the announcement from Scranton
there will be no customary April re-
duction. II there was one thing that
the operators insisted upon more than
any other during the period of the
strike, 1t was that the cost to the
consumer could not and would not be
| increased. The fact that they are
recouping their losses at the rate of
| 100000 a day Is a direct challenge
| to Congress and shows their failure
| to comprehend that Congress will
protect the public to the limit of their
constitutional rights
| Mr.. Treadway criticized policies Of
the State of Pennsylvania as tending
| to keep the price of anthracite coal
up There are three factors adding
materially to the price," he said, "the
license law Of the State. the so-called
anthracite tax and the royalties. They
| come within the range as to whether
the Federal Government can use any
other course than that of moral sua-