The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-20
EIx STEEL AND
 COPPER PRICES BY TOMORROW
S Boards Data, Now In Presidents Heads. May
 Be Given Out.

Washington. Sept. 20.-Steel and copper prices are now in the hands of the President and will be announce ed probably in the next 24 hours. The matter was the subject of a long con Terence yesterday between the Pres I4dent, the members of the War In- dustrtes Board and Chairman Davies iOf the Federal Trade Commission. While some notifications may be made in the figures agreed upon by the Trade Commission and the War Industries Board, it is believed that the figures now before the President will govern him in coming to a decis- ion Under the present law the prices liked will only apply to Government purchases, but this class of buying forms so large a proportion of the transactions in the present markets that such prices will have great infiu- ence in fixing quotations for the entire industries affected.
 4 It is believed here that the prices fixed will meet with the general ap- provaI of producers. They will be high enough to stimulate production Ito the. fullest possible extent even at present wage rates. It Is thought that the Presidents advisers, including the labor officials, who have been. taken Into his confidence, have urged the continuance of the present wage scales
 Outside of the ultra-radical 'e1e- tment there is feeling even in Admin listration circles that the prices fixed flor coal were unduly low. It Is cer- tain that the industry has not been stimulated and that on the contrary production has actually decreased since the prices were formulated. In addition. labor leaders have found themselves in a bad position on the lquestion of increased wage demands lwhen the operators were able to point to prices which if not unprofltable at the present wage scale are so nearly Iso as to furnish an almost unanswer- able argument against further. in icreases.
 K Another reason for believing that the prices announced will be more sfa- vorable to the industries affected than were the coal prices is the fact that the War Industries Board has been consulted in the matter.
 Coal prices were fixed on the basis tof data presented by the Trade Com mission alone. The coad production lcomrnittee, which was the organ of the Council of National Defence deal- lifie with the industry, being utterly ig- lrlored The War Industries Board IS believed to De a more conservative body than the Trade Commission and ali. the public utterances of it's mem bsrs have invariaibly laid stress on the necessity for increased production s Bernard Baruch is the boards ex- pert on metals and other raw mate ria1s and while he has been success ful in getting Government reduire- ments covered at low prices, it is thought that he thoroughly under stands the necessity for stimulating industry to the greatest possible ex- tent He has been in daily confer errees with the copper and steel people on the matter of prices, thus follow ing different method from that pur- sued with regard to coal
 MT. Baruch's influence with the ss particulariy strong This does not as particularly strong. :. This oes not mean that the steel and copper indus tries arc on the verge Of an era of 4xtraordinary profits, but only that fne Presidents own declaration that prices should be fair and reasonable Twill be adhered to In the broadest possible way and that the interests of the nation as well as of the industries affected will be protected.