The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-09
Missouri Attorney TestifieS Be-
fore Senate PrOberS.
Says Prices in Central States
Were Doubled.
WORKED IT THRU BUREAUS
All Worked in Unison in Viola
ton of Anti Trust.
Fuel Administration, Blamed
for Shortage i'm Ohio.

Washington, Jan. 9.-An illegal
combination of coal operators in CEN
trail states doubled and trebled fuel
prices there Attorney Frank w. Meal
lister of Missouri declared before the
senate coal investigating committee
today.
The combination, he said, worked
thru bureaus, each of which kept its
fellow members informed daily as 10
| prices to be charged.
Operators of the southern Illirois
field, which supplies st. Louis, he SAID,
comprised one of these bureaus. An
other included operators of south
western Kansas, Arkansas and Okla
homa, supplying Kansas City and vi
cinity.
McAllister testified that investiga-
| tions conducted by him convinced him
that the combinations were violating
| the antitrust laws.
Approves Govt Control Mines.
McAlliSter agreed with what some
other students of the situation have
| testified, that the best remedy was
government control of mines. "I know
| of nothing short of that for relief" he
said.
| Blame for shortage of coal in Ohio
! was placed entirely ON the fuel ad-
ministration today by James B. Du-
gan, inspector of the railway division
| of the Ohio utilities commission, in
| testimony before the senate investi-
eating committee. State authorities
last summer, expecting difficulty in
/ getting coal this winter, he said, inau-
gurated a plan of distribution that was
meeting needs until the fuel admins
tration took charge.
| Hears Consumers Troubles.
Today the committee turned to the
private consumer and learned from
Mrs. A q. Bunker, Norwalk, Conn.
wife of a navy surgeon in Europe
| that for two weeks she has been .ry-
ing to get COAL while Norwalk
dealer, "a partner of the fuel admin
| 1strator in the real estate business, >
with four hundred tons on hand, re-
fused to part with any of it.
| Sixty-three Iowa Towns Need Coal
| Sixty-three Iowa towns are suffer
ing from lack of coal and somebody
is making a pile of money out of the
peoples dire necessity" according tc
a telegram submitted today signed
| by Frank c. Pierce, secretary of the
Iowa League of municipalities.
The town of Coburg the messag &c
said, had been without coal since No
vember 25. Wood cannot be secured
and thousands of families are out OF
fuel.
A budget plan of coal distribution
is being worked out by the fuel ad-
ministration. Its object is to bring
fuel saving to the point where it will
balance production. Under it, indus
tries classed not absolutely essen.
t1al will have their fuel supply limited
No Coal for Nonessentials.
Committees representing the large
| industries not actually engaged in wal
work-more than 100 in all-have
been called upon by fuel administra-
to-. officials to show the best method
of curtailHlent in their own business
so that the least important portion
will be affected. Their voluntary
agreement as to the amount of coal to
be conserved will be followed by a
fuel administration order making the
agreement effective as regards the
whole industry.
Among the industries affected are:
Confectionery, artificial ice, glassware
wall paper, paint, varnish and boz
board.
These industries will, be informed OF
the amount of coal they can obtain
from tho coal budget made up OF
the estimated requirements of 1915
offset by the estimated production
figure. The plan is elastic and conse.
quently curtailment will shift as
changes in needs and production