Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-08-23
PRESIDENT FIXES
SOFT COAL PRICES
Country Divided into 20 Dis.
tricts-Producers in Each
May Ask Same Price.
STATEMENT BY WILSON.
The Next step in the Operation VIII BE
to FIX the Prices Charged by the
Middlemen ana Retailers.

- . q, p,.vr,,rova coa,
"asi'e'o'' r"e' 60,
prices were nxed py fresiueh' "heo" w.
night for every mine in the United States.
rho rox+ s+en in coal control, a White
,. s,,a r,,,, no +o A.
HOUSE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. $3.50
the price to be charged py hiooieheh anu
retailers
| Prices were set on cost Of production
estimates furnished by the federal trade
commission after months Of exhaustive
investigation. The country is divided into
20 districts and every producer in a dis
trict will market his output at the same
price,
The President named no agency to carry
out the provisions of his order. but Is
expected to appoint soon a coal adminis-
traitor who will be given entire control of
the coal industry. Rumor tonight named
President H. A. Garfield Of Williams Col
lege as the man. Mr.. Garfield now heads
a committee named by the President to
fix a government price for wheat. His
work will end before September 1 when
the wheat committee probably will be
dissolved.
The prices Z. o. b. named for run Of mine
coal in the large producing districts aver
age slightly more than 81. In a few dis
tricts they are below that figure and in
the western territory they are higher.
Washington State is highest with 1925.
The prices for prepared sizes run from
$225 to $3.50 and for slack or screenings
from SITS to $215.
| The Presidents statement said:
1.-THE scale of prices is prescribed for
bituminous coal at the mine in the several
coal producing districts. 1t is provisional
only. It is subject to reconsideration
when the whole method of administe rinR
the fuel supplies Of the country shall have
been satisfactorily organised and nut into
operation. Subsequent measures will have
as their obiect a fair and eouitable control
of the distribution of the supply and prices
not only at the mines. but also in the
hands Of the middlemen and the retailers.
"The prices professionally arrived at
are fixed nv mo under tho nrov,sions
of the recent act Of Congress- regard
ing administering the food supply of
the country. which also conferred unon
the executive control of the fuel sun
ply. They are based upon the actual
cost of production and are deemed to
lbe not onlv fair and inst hit l,heraI
as we'll. Under them the industrv
should nowhere lack stimulation"
The nrices fired range IRON, On n
AZ per cent. under the maximur, nr,ce
OF a. fixed nv povernment orr;c,.I,
and onerators at conSararc. hsrs
more than a month ago The "a rrics
agreement. however. ala MT ho,d a.
MANY operatorn refused To abide nv a.
after Secretary Baker. as nresident ~
the council Of national defen.s "a.
undated A. as too higb pr,ca. rec.r+I,,
have ranged Far above ~. 90 u.-,tt
Tho flying Of nrices mo. Tho pra.,-
dents second sten in tha d,racttor ~
local control and was taken under an
thority given the executive In an
amendment to the food control hill
The first was taken vesterdav vhen
1.-The President named Robert q Y.ovatt
las director of transnortatior ana a.
lproyed an order issued nv NJ Iovat+
: directing that coal shinmenta r. me
northwest he given nraferonoa 49,