Bisbee daily review., 1917-10-28
WILSON ORDERS
 GREAT INCREASE
 IN COAL PRICES
President Grants Increases in Coal to Allow Operators Margin of Profit Above Their Expenses.
(By Review Leased Wire.)

WASHINGTON, Oct 27.-Presidenr Wilson tonight granted an increase of 45 cents a ton in the price of bitum- inous coal at virtually all mines in the country, effective at seven o'clock Mon day morning. The new price will ab, sorb wage raises recently agreed upon between operators and miners in the central connective and other fields.
 The presidents order provides that the increases shall not apply in case of existing contracts providing for an in- crease in price to cover any raise in miners wages. Neither will it apply in districts where miners and operators fail to agree upon a miners penalty provision satisfactory to the fuel ad- ministration.
 Millions of dollars of increased cost to consumers is involved in the order which was based upon recommends tions made to the president by Fuel Administrator Garfield, after a careful survey of conditions in all districts. The order refers specifically only Q the wage agreement entered into at the conference in Washington, October s, between operators and miners in the centrl competitive field of Ohio, Hi nois, Indiana and Pennsylvania, but. wages throughout the country are largely based on those paid in the cen tral district.
 The presidents order follows:
 Wilson's Order.
 "The scale of prices prescribed Au- gust 21, 1917, by the president of the United States for bituminous coal at the mine. as adjusted and modified by order of the United States Fuel Ad- ministrator to meet exceptional condi- tions in certain localities, is hereby at tended by adding the sum of 45 cents to each of the prices so prescribed or so adjusted and modified, subject how ever, to the following express excep- tions:
 This increase in price shall not apply to any coal sold at the mine un- der an existing contract containing provision for an increase in the price of coal hereunder in case of an in- crease in wages paid to miners.
 "2-This increase in price shall not apply in any district in which the ope- rators and miners fail to agree upon a penalty provision satisfactory to the fuel administrator for the automatic collection of fines in the spirit of the agreement entered into between the operators and miners at Washington. October 6. 1917.
 "The order shall become effective at ' a. m. on October 29, 1917"
 In his letter to the president recom- needing the price increases, Dr. Gar field said that the wage raises aggre- gating fifty per cent to miners and 7s per cent to the best laborers over the wages of April 1. 1914. were not dis proportionate to the advance in the cost of living.
 Favors Fair Profit.
 His understanding, he explained. was that in fixing the prices for mine coal. it was intended to allow a fair profit and that under the new wage scale ex- isting prices would not admit of such a profit.
 Government reports show that 363.- 500.000 tons of bituminous coal were mined in the first eight months of 1917. or an average of 45,437 800 tons month ly. At this rate the new price in- crease will cost consumers about S240.- GOO, ,00O a year. or s20.000.0 a month.
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