New-York tribune., 1918-07-06
Report of Trade Commits.
sion Expected to End All
Further Argument
Huge Gains Made
By Many Companies
No Chance Left to Limit
Production for Lack of
Remuneration
By Theodore M. Knappen

~ ASHINGTON, July The
w Trade Commissions report on
protiteering and DR.. Garheld's
comment thereon should put an end to
sll argument as to whether the price
Of coal was finally made high enough.
taken as a whole, the coal industry
made enormous profits in 1917, and
while the protiteering part of the prof
is was largely due to the fulfilment of
contracts made before the government
undertook regulation, it has been clear
" shown that the subsequently fixed
prices finally reached level that al
lowed glorious profits for the better
mines. and that would have been prof
teering piled on prohteering for some
districts if the So level price for
unanimous coal of the Lane-P Peabody
committee had been allowed to stand.
On the other hand, President Will
sons mine price of August 81. 1917,
vas much too low in most fields and
ii maintained would undoubtedly have
curtailed production to a serious en-
tent, although the President himself
described his price as fair and liberal!
So Dr.. Garfield, soon after he came
into office. began to tinker with the
prices established by the Chief En-
ecutive, and every time he made a
change the Peabody-Lane adherents
ehuckled, because they were chiefly up
ward. In the latter part of October
the miners in almost all the fields
Of Importance in the country were
permitted to raise their base prices
45 cents g ton to help out the
workers, though it is not clear that all
Of this as cents got to them.
Price Becomes $245 in
Original 81 Fields
Thereafter in all the original 50
bituminous fields the price became
S2.45.
Later DR.. Garfield added go cents
more in the majority of the Pennsyl-
vania mines and touched up, and some
times little down, prices all over the
country, adding in some cases as much
as s135 ton,
'hS4i IAS OeoG VI lCE 4OI KUN "a Illlic
the medium of the three classical
tions, which are run of mine, prepared
and screenings-reached $305 in the
chief Pennsylvania districts the cham
pions of the Peabodv-Lane schedule
went out and trHned Secretary Bakers
picture to the wall and made various
unkind remarks about his rude over
throw Of that schedule year ago.
mixed with strains of exultation and
favored with I-told-you-so.
Next, if you happened to be running
a mine that had to deliver its product
by wagon you were allowed Is cents a
ton more.
A.lttle later, in order to encourage
you to dig and ship coal instead Of
rock and dirt, you were permitted to
add another varying amount as re-
ward for not being too bad. About
the same time you were fired so cents
ton if you persisted in refusing to
take the reward for being fairly good
or weren't even ordinarily good. On
the other hand, you were permitted
TO add S1.95 net ton for bunker coal,
and there were special plice decora-
tons for smithing and camel coal.
So, finally, prices got 20 such a point
thst if you happened to tc the oper-
s'or IN Pennsylvania of that rare bird,
supertine wagon mine, you might be
getting an even So for your coal as
against the Presidents original So
price.