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Show Overseas Movement of Fuel to Be Permitted ! From Two Ports; New I Relaxations Promised. Committee Arranges for Investigation of Wages and Prices of Industry at Initial Conference. WASHINGTON", Dec. 29 Preliminary arrangements for the investigation of wages and prices in the bituminous coal industry, as provided in the coal strike settlement, were made at the initial meetings today of the commission of three appointed by President Wilson. The members of the commission Henry Hen-ry M. Robinson of Pasadena, Calif., representing rep-resenting tho public; Rembrandt Peale for the operators, and John P. White for the miners established a semi-permanent headquarters in the department of labor building, and, it is understood, have discussed dis-cussed the matter of organization. The commissioners said the plan of procedure in the task outlined by President Wilson had not been fully worked out. They refused re-fused to discuss the questions of whether they would hold hearings or whether they would visit the coal fields in conducting their inquiry. EXPORT OF FUEL TO BE PERMITTED. "While the commission was preparing to take up the dominant questions of the strike, Director General Hinea, who has had charge of coal rationing-, modified the last of the restrictions put into effect ef-fect during the strike that prohibiting exportation of bituminous coal. The director general issued an order t under which the overseas movement of coal up to an amount equal to 50 per cent of the quantity exported in October , may be shipped from the ports of Baltimore Balti-more and Newport News. Similar arrangements ar-rangements are to be placed in effect at other ports as soon as the necessary details de-tails can be worked out. Dumping of coal at ports will be regulated, however, through railroad embargoes on tidewater-consigned tidewater-consigned coal. The relaxation of restrictions against, exportation was possible, Mr. Hines said, through steadily increased production re-: re-: suiting from the return of the miners to j their jobs. The situation in the eastern fields was described as especially good. ', SECRETARY OF LABOR ! ATTENDS CONFERENCE. The first meeting of the president's 1 commission was held in the cabinet room 1 of the executive offices, and was attend- ed by Secretary of Labor Wilson and Joseph P. Tumulty, secretary to the president. pres-ident. The quarters assigned to the com-j com-j mission in the department of labor building build-ing include a hearing room of considera-' considera-' ble size, indicating that hearings of some sort are contemplated by the commission. Under the strike settlement plan agreed ! to by the miners, and in which it is ex-' ex-' pected that the operators will participate J in spite of objections made to it by tho ' operators' association,, the commission has power to fix wages and working con-' con-' ditlons In the mines and prices of coal to the public, if its decision is unanimous. The return of the miners to work has been with the understanding that the i commission is to have full powers to ad-1 ad-1 just scales further if it finds further in-l in-l crease justified. .... Relaxation of export restrictions was announced by Director General Hines m 7 the following statement: j "In the two weeks which have passed 1 since the bituminous coal miners re-1 re-1 turned to work generally, production has increased regularly. This has afforded a great measure of relief in those consuming con-suming sections customarily supplied by miners In the central competitive field and in the southwest and in which sections sec-tions consumers' stocks have been much f depleted. Indicative of the better condi- - tion of such stocks is the fact that many I of those consumers who were eager during dur-ing the strike to obtain coal from the L fields which had continued to produce in - the east have refused now to take such J coal which the railroads moved west during dur-ing the strike to protect such cousumers . the additional freight rato from the east 1 naturally entering into the price of coal. t Congestion to Be Avoided. , "It is necssnrv, under these circum- stances, that productions of the eastern fields be again turned into usual channels chan-nels and usual markets, and among the f latter is the overseas export market. Otherwise, a serious congestion of coal ; loads will inevitably develup on the rail-roads,. rail-roads,. carefu, consideration of the en-, en-, tire situation, it lias been deemed advisa- - ble to permit restricted resumption of oversea export movement ol bituminous J coal. Instructions have already been is-, is-, sued for such movement tltrnugh the l ports of Hampton Roads and Baltimore I In -in amount equal to about SO per cent I of 'the export tonnage handled through those ports in October. ; Other Ports to Be Included. "S'milar arrangements will be iiMde at other ports as so .n as the necessary .le- tin ,lnw under way can he perfected, l t each port, lu.w-v er. the export diunp- i,,L- will be allowed only upon a restricted 1 b.,N the restrictions iwn.8 made cf-i cf-i tccli've hv railroad embargoes against the movement of coal to tidewater Ports tor c (Continued on Pase 2, Column S. COIL EXPORT RULE HliS BEEN MODIFIED (Continued From Page One.) export, and the issuance of permits by the railroads under the control of the regional re-gional directors authorizing" the movement move-ment of specific coal against such embargoes. em-bargoes. "During the past two weeks, while production pro-duction has been on the increase, special provision has been made for the export of coal to Cuba necessary there for the production of sugar ultimately to bo moved to this country. In addition, a 1 few other cargoes have been permitted i bv the central coal committee, acting in conjunction with the representatives of the destination countries concerned. In order lo take care of vital necessities among our allies and also of foreign consumers con-sumers whoso output was contracted to be shipped to the United States." : Operators in Session. CHICAGO. Dee. 29. Coal operators from Illinois, Indiana. Ohio and western Pennsylvania today discussed their attitude atti-tude toward the commission named by President Wilson to investigate tlie coal situation and declared that they would assume no Increase in miners' wanes above the 14 per cent granted in tiie strike settlement. If tho president's new commission recommended a wage Increase above 14 per. cent the responsibility of in -Teased prices to tlie consumer would rest with the commission, the coal men I said. Thomas T. Hrewste.r of Kt. Louis, chairman chair-man of the operators' scale committee, presided. Accused of Exactions. LINCOLN. Neb.. Deo. 19. Governor Samuel R. MeKelvie. announced today ho had sent a telegram to I nit ed Statea Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer ad-j ad-j vising him of the receipt of complaints that fuel dealers are exacting an increased in-creased price for coal. The telegram asked how such complaints could be handled. In another message to the attorney general, the governor asked for information informa-tion us to what had been done regarding tlie price for .si:g;i r, adding t bai "t bore seem to be ;i very crc.it variation in prices at which this article is being sold In this .state," |