The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-08-30
OPERATORS ASK
DISTRICT PRICES
BLANKET PRICE FOR ENTIRE
STATE WILL WORK HARDSHIP.
MANY MINES LIKELY TO CLOSE
A Different System of Mining is Used
in Northern Section of State and
Causes Increased Overhead
Expenses.

4
Des Moines, Aug. 29.-District
prices on coal instead of a blanket
price for the entire state and country
will be asked by Governor w. l.
Harding when the governors of the
coal mining states meet in Washing.
ton, ID. c., in the near future.
Coal operators from Webster and
Boone counties conferred with the
| governor this morning and asked that
district prices be fixed, so that work
ing conditions could be taken into
consideration by those who will
make the Wholesale prices.
Governor Harding was unable to
state the date of the meeting at
Washington.
Mines in northern Iowa will be
compelled to close indefinitely, say
the operators, if the present blanket
prices are not changed. A differ
ent system of mining is used in the
northern section of the state and
causes increased overhead expense.
TIL operators claim that southern
Iowa miners are more able to meet
the new price.
r. l.. Marshall of Boone county ex-
planned the reason for the higher
cost of production in the northern
part of the state over the southern
section. There is no steam pull
used in the northern section, and
fhn &c IF
Dynamiting is not used, because of
the peculiar formation of the strata
of coal
Southern operators can shoot
their Mines said Mr.. Marshall. las
we cannot do this, we must have bet
ter prices. Those fixed by the pres
ident are prohibitive. The prices
are $2.98 for lump and 1910 a ton for
mine run, at the mouth of the mine
1t costs US $500 ton to put the coal
at the mouth of the mine.
zone reason for this enormous ex.
is that in the summer time there is
dead expense. Very little coal is
mined, but the mine must be kept in
condition to be worked in the fall and
winter. Thus the expense of keeping
it in shape is all dead expense and
adds to a natural high overhead
cost"
Operators present at the meeting
with Governor Harding are: Robert
Heaps, George Heaps, Sr., F. Holm
son, William Benson and R. l.. Mar
shall of Boone and Sam Mcclure of
Fort Dodge. The Boone men oper-
ate mines in Boone county and Mr..
Mcclure is owner of the Lehigh
mines in Webster county.
Coal Dealers Cooperate.
Cedar Rapids, Ia, Aug. 29.-Cedar
Rapids coal dealers have pledged
their cooperation with Governor
Harding in the effort being made by
him to regulate coal prices for Iowa.
Notice has also been given to the
state authorities that their books will
be open for a public audit at any
time in the future.
This action has been taken as
result of the recent meeting at Des
Moines at which time forty of the
most extensive dealers and operators
met with the governor and the Iowa
council of defense and outlined plans
for the reduction of a possible coal
famine.
Advocate Selling Pools.
Washington, Aug. ga proposal
from operators that the government
change its plans for coal control to
provide for selling pools among the
producers was suggested as possibili-
ty last night after a conference here
of directors of the National Coal asso-
citation. Some producers say the price
fixing program will drive SO many OPP
orators out of business the output OF
the mines will be greatly reduced.
A pooling arrangement was one of
the number of plans proposed by the
federal trade commission for dealing
with the coal situation. 1t provides
separate selling pools for each district
with prices based on cost Of produc-
tion.
| At the meeting the operators decid-
ed to present to the trade commits
sion tables showing their production
costs based on present wages and on
the cost of mine equipment.