Evening star., 1916-05-10

in the price of anthracite coal it will
take up with the Department of Justice
the question of an investigation of the
anthracite industry. The Attorney
General is responsible for the sugges-
ton that an inquiry be made If prices
are raised following the wage advance
lust granted to the anthracite work
ers
Inquiry Is Suggested.
The commission has made public the
communication of the Attorney Cen
eral, which calls attention to price ad-
vances that have followed wage in
creases in the past. He then suggests
the inquiry under the authority of sec
tion 6 of the act creating the commits
sion, proposing:
"a searching investigation into the
operations and accounts of the great
producing companies, for the purpose
of ascertaining all the facts upon which
such increase in price may be based,
including the relation between any in
crease in the cost of production due to
advance of wages and the increase of
profits caused by the increase in price"
Anthracite producers have put sur
tax of s12.000,0O0 annually on consum-
ers since the 1912 wage increase, the
Attorney General wrote. through price
increase of 16 cents ton over cost in
crease. The letter called attention to
three wage increases in sixteen years
and resulting price increases. wage
increase of 10 per cent in October, 1900
the Attorney General said, increased
cost of production to the Philadelphia
and Reading Coal and Iron Company
1876 cents ton but it's coal prices were
raised soon afterward 23.2 cents a ton.
Other Increases Cited.
cent in November. 1902, which in
creased cost of production, according to
the Attorney General only 1873 cents a
ton, was followed by raise in prices
of 49.4 cents ton. Prices Immediately
following this wage increase were in
iuenced by a scarcity of coal, due to a
long strike, said the Attorney General
but prices two years later still were
24.5 cents higher than the cost increase
that came with the wage advance.
In 1872 wage increase of cents a
ton was followed by a rise of 25 cents a
ton in prices. In response to a House
resolution the Department of Labor in
vestigated this increase and reported
that the prices realized by the coal
mining companies were increased about
! s cents ton more than was required
Prices to Go Higher.
NEW YORK, May l0-Circulars an
nouncing advances in the wholesale
price of anthracite coal have been ap-
proved by anthracite operators, and
were sent to retail dealers today
The increases, which, according to
one circular range from Is cents a ton
for egg to 80 cents a ton for pea coal
follow upon the announcement by the
operators that they would advance the
price Of coal to meet the additional
cost of wage increases and other ad-
justments recently allowed the miners
Other than to express surprise none
Of the operators here would comment
upon the announcement of the federal
trade commission.
In Effect June l.
According 10 the circular. a first adj
vance goes into effect June !, and the
final increase becomes effective Sep
;ember l and throughout the fall and
winter. The June l prices show ad-
| vances at tideWater New York of Is
| cents a ton for egg coal. 20 cents for
chestnut, 20 cents for buckwheat No. /,
40 cents for stove and 30 cents for pea.
The schedule follows:
Broken coal. s495; ego, s5O5; stove,
$3.50: chestnut. s535; pea. 1855; buck
wheat No. ], s2.95. and boiler, 1925
Ten cents per ton will be added to
| the prices of egg, stove, chestnut and
pea Goals on the 1st of June, July, Au-
| gust and September. making the winter
| schedule as follows:
| Egg, $545: stove, $50; chestnut,
S515 and pea, $4.09.
The price for the other Goals remains
| stationary.