COAL: Mr. Newton and the Facts

"I expect the incidental results of this job will be substantial headaches and more personal abuse—which I will try not to warrant."

So saying, stocky Carl Elbridge Newton last week left his job as president of the bustling, kitten-conscious Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, thrust his feet under a Washington desk, and got set for a tough summer and a hard winter as operator of the Government-seized coal mines.

Promptly, Newton sat down with mine operators, then with John L. Lewis. One fact Newton made plain: as deputy coal administrator he has no jurisdiction over wages, no power to make a contract...