Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-16
RICHIE R|D|CULES
FEDERAL AID PLEAS
Tells Soft Coal Industry to
Beware of Government
Control.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, November 16.-Gov
Albert C. Richie Of Maryland, holding
I'D to ridicule "this new American habit
of looking to Washington for help
whenever help is wanted" told the bi-
luminous coal leaders of the Nation
here today to keep clearly in mind
that Government control and owner
ship is, in the last analysis, species
of Communism"
The Maryland Democrat spoke at the
opening Of the third International Con-
ference on Bituminous Coal.
AS an alternative to Government con-
troll of the industry. Gov. Ritchie sug-
gested "a consolidation of mines into
Bigger units, by co-ownership or asso-
citation, or the use of selling agencies
with production adjusted to meet de-
mand at just price"
Urges cooperative Methods.
He urged his hearers to consider
every possible means Of removing cut
throat competition and uneconomiC
OOuCIlOll,
greater cooperation among yourselves
with possibly frank disclosures Of costs
and prices and uniform cost accounting
systems, and with uniform regional
wage scales"
THE tendency of looking to the Gov
eminent in time Of collective or inS
dividual stress" Mr.. Richie observed,
lis more dangerous than we think and
has already gone too far.
THE Federal Government, by its pa
ternal and maternal SolicitudeS and ac-
tivitics in almost every field of human
endeavor, from regulating railroads to
trying to regulate the housewife in her
kitchen and nursery. has done much to
encourage this tendency. -"
There is no mystic power or superior
wisdom in government as government.
1t is just as fallible as the fallible men
who run it. It cannot make black
Problems like unemployment, the
agrarian breakdown, our bank panics,
or our failure to keep production and
distribution in mesh will never be
solved in the halls Of Congress"
Steel Leader Shares View.
Myron c. Taylor, chairman Of the
Finance Committee Of the United States
Steel Corporation, reviewed the eco
nomic situation, and concluded that in
dustry must set its own house in order
rather than look for aid from State or
National Governments.
In an endeavor to find a solution Of
our present troubles" he said, many
plans have been advanced, some OF
them palliative, some constructive, but
unfortunately many ill-advised and
destructive in character. The latter
like the naturalization of industry and
the artificial fixing of commodity prices
through attempted sterilization by
Government control, invite defeat al
their inception because they are con-
trary to the law of supply and demand
He devoted a considerable portion Of
his address to the economic state of the
bituminous industry and said, There
has been some disposition to assume
that the industry cannot be expected
to take any action to better its condi-
ton until Congress enacts additional
legislation"
II cannot share these views" he
stressed. IT cannot escape the feeling
that the trouble has been due more to
lack of the viii to do the proper thing
than to obstacles supposedly presented
by the antitrust laws to rational and
upon firm foundations"