Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-10

i
cept an advance of twenty-five cents
| a ton, why the price of coal in this
State should be increased. No fur
| Their increase is justifiable from the
| printed statements, and they deny the
responsibility for the increased cost OF
| this product in this State Perhaps
| there will be no less than 20 or 81
| localities, already heard from. in
which such conditions exist as would
lead anyone to suspect and to believe
| that local organization, composed in
this State, certainly were assisting in
/ maintaining prices if not actually
creating them. -.
In response to the inquiry }of the
senator from Oxford, will say that
the evidence, when produced, should a
hearing be established, will show that
lin some cities. or in one city in par
ticular, coal has been from nine to
ten dollars a ton, and at the same time
that coal was retailing at that price
and hard to get, small quantities only
being served, in a city no farther
away than Bath the price was $3.50
per ton. At Biddeford at that time
the price was between seven and eight
dollars. At Monmouth, east on the
line of the Maine Central, the price in
one instance, to my personal knowl-
edge from a man who bought the coal,
was $3.50.
A member of this Legislature, the
Representative from Readfield, inform
ed me, only yesterday, of the condition
at Readheld; that less than a week
ago ne purchased two tons of coal and
the price was s1025 ton at the depot
at Readfield. 12 miles from Augusta.
When they desired to obtain some coal,
several clubbing together at Water
vile they were informed they could
buy no coal except through the local
dealer. '171
I am going to say further that you
cannot buy coal in Lewiston and Au-
burn unless you buy through, the local
coal dealers. In another city. the city
of Rockland. the senator from Knox
has had experience within few days
at tide water where the vessels cas-
lily discharge their coal, so that it can
not be held that the inland freight is
affected--we know what the freight is
from Portland TO Lewiston--at Rock
land the price of coal was SO per ton.
At Augusta the price is IS.
We find a circumstance. when you
come to analyze the situation in this
State to justify the State of Maine
and il will be found to be in accordance
!! with the fact, that in many places
where the high price of coal exists, it
is impossible to purchase coal except
through the local dealer and that the
price of coal is two or three dollars in
excess of what the mining operators
say there is any reason for
Now, then, in reply to the further
question of the senator from Oxford
that if the conditions exist in the diff
fercnt cities of the State, the differ
ent portions of the State, as l have
mentioned. that is not subject for
federal interference, if the trouble lies
from the shipment into the State and
the combination, so that when the coal
gets to the confines of the State the
price is way up and due to the agency
of the operators before getting into the
State, then we do not have anything
| to do with it, The operators say that
they can land coal for so much-twen-
ty-fiye cents beyond the ordinary is
sufficicnt-and the retailers say that 1t
is the fault of the wholesalers. The re-
sponsibility is divided and there is no
power TO place it. While / do mol
think that the expenses of an inves-
tigatinn would be great deal-there
| is nobody to receive a salary, 1t Is TO
be under the instruction of the attor-
ney general of the state, and when we
get done. if it is a fact that there is
an dnconscienable price charged, sim
ply an arbitrary laying upon all to the
detriment of the people of our State.
who cannot afford to bear it, and this
LEGISLATURE can afford relief, l think
it will be practical Improvement that
will do much and perhaps more than
any other one thing for the householder
in the State of Maine that We can
possibly pass at this session.
The evil is Widespread. The arbi-
trary increase is put upon all and
there is no escape from 1t. great
public commodity, one of the prime ne
cessities of life, held up, and If on
disclosure it lis brought within the
, puryicW, of the Acts of our state, 4
have no doubt that the attorney gener-
| al WOULD be more than pleased to sec
that the penalties for combination in
the unlawful restraint of trade and on
commodity ttat affects public policy,
in tho. intere SITS of the people Of the
State should be Visited on the per
sens responsible within the borders of
our state, to the end that the unlaw-
full combination, prohibited by the
Statute shall not longer continue.
do not see any other practical way
to get at it, and trust | have answer
ed the questions of the Senator from
oxford, ard with these remarks | have
nothing further to say.
Mr HERSEY- of Aroostook: Mr..
President: 1 feel as the senator from
oxford did, Yesterday when he ia.
bled this measure. that l want more
light. And l have been disappointed,
this morning, in the senator from An-
droscoggin in not giving us the light
we ought to have upon,th matter. Not
because the senator from Androscoggin
has not the ability 10 present his case
here, but it seems to me that he has
failed to satisfy the Senate that we
nun nntagat neARSse