The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-11-07
Attorney Gregory Is Now
Planning Nationwide
Prosecutions
A CONSPIRACY
is SEEN BY HIM
Car Shortage Not Accepted
as Excuse for Coal
Men

Washington, Nov. Z.--District attor-
neys throughout the United States yes
terday frightened the official nation wide
investigation into food prices, announced
by Attorney General Gregory Sunday.
Sufficient evidence has been aecumu-
lated already by district attorneys and
department investigators to warrant the
assertion made Sunday that "the present
increase in the necessities of life" is
abnormal and suspicious"
In an official statement the attorney
general yesterday pronounced this to
be true. wherever such increase is
found to be due to conspiracy or other
unlawful action" he said the depart.
ment will invoke against the offenders
the severest penalties which the law pro-
yides."
Bread milk and coal increases, it was
said at the department, are the three
principal objective points of the inyes.
LEGATION.
If indictments were obtained in any
of these lines it would have wholesome
effect on producers in general, it was be-
lieved.
In the coal situation, in particular, the
department officials felt they would be
able to make out good case, it was
said. Facts have been uncovered it was
announced, which Indicate conspiracy
by coal operators and the railroads to
force up the price of fuel Federal in
vestigators it was intimated, were not
by any means willing to accept the rail
roads excuse of insufficient cars to han
die the coal as explaining the shortage.
Coal cars it was pointed out are of
such construction as to make them I'M
suited for most other kinds of traffic
without structural alteration
The United States district attorneys
Office has discovered evidence pointing to
a conspiracy conceived and accomplished
in this city to raise the price of coal and
will turn the material over to District
Attorney Swami of New York county
and District Attorney Lewis of Kings
county for prosecution under the Don
nelly act.
The investigation by the department
of justice was undertaken as soon as the
price of coal began to soar. The depart
ment worked on the theory that there
had been interstate manipulations of the
market Upon learning that the alleged
conspiracy was brought about by de-
mands of abnormal prices upon locs
dealers by mine operators for coal al
ready brought to the city the department |
decided it was a question for the city
authorities to prosecute.
This, it is said by the United States |
district attorneys office, does not mean
that federal inquiries will be abandoned. /
Agents of the department of justice will
continue to hunt down evidence of a vio !
lation of federal statutes in the boost
ing of coal and food prices
After the price of coal had jumped as !
high as $l3 ton in New York City last !
week conflicting charges were made as to |
the causes. The department looked into (
the allegations that such factors as a
shortage of cars. scarcity of labor at the .
mines and the shipping of coal west on
the Great Lakes were responsible.
1t found, however, facts relative to
the allegation that independent coal OPP /,
orators in the city were the cause of the
sensational rise. These have been turned
over to the district attorneys of New
York and Kings counties. The independ
ent dealers, the agents found, controlled
20 per cent of the city's supply and were
charging as high as ST a ton wholesale.
The city will probably be forced to
pay the increased prices for coal in order