Bisbee daily review., 1919-04-03
NEW STEEL
 PRICES ARE
 REJECTED BY HINES
Stormy Conference Held in Effort to Reach Agreement on Recent Readjustments Members of Cabinet, Food
 and Fuel Administrations
 Fail to Agree After Hours
By RevIew Leased wirel


 WASHINGTON, April 2.-Director General Hines of the railroad admin istration, which is the largest pur- chaser of steel in the United States, refused today to accept the price re- adjustments arranged by the industrial board of the department of commerce in conference with representatives of the steel industry.
 An effort to effect an agreement between the board and the head of the railroad administration failed, aI- though members of the cabinet, the industrial board and representatives of the food and fuel administrations, the war trade board and the war finance corporation conferred for four hours. The conference at times grew stormy, with the cabinet members finally withdrawing to an adjoining room, from which they emerged with a recommendation that the question be recommitted to the board for fur ther consideration This was finally agreed ubon-
 Members of the conference were reticent in discussing the proceedings Secretary Glass, who called the con ference. refused to see newspaper men afterward, and the official state ment concerning the gathering was very brief As originally issued, it read:
 Official Statement.
 The steel price approved by the industrial board of the department of commerce not having been accepted by the railroad administration, the views of both were expressed at the conference. The views fthe indus trial board were expressed by Secre- tary Redfield, Chairman Peek and other members of the board. The views of the railroad administration were presented by Director General Hines. The matter was recommitted to the board for further considera- tion."
 The statement caused such a furry by it's intimation that the entire ques- ton of steel prices would be reopened 1 that an amendndent was added by Chairman Peek to make the sentence read:
 The matter was recommitted to the l board for further consideration with the railroad administration"
 More Conferences. Additional conferences will be held, | it va ssaid. at which the board will | attemt to show the railroad admins tration that the prices agreed upon are not excessively high according to cost figures obtained by the federal 1 trade commission. Director General | Hines has maintained that the rail- | road administration was entitled to it's enormous purchases at prices as low | as sould be obtained Mir. Hines, according to one of the | officials present, told the conference that the agreement on steel prices reached by the board with the steel industry two weeks ago, was made f over his protest and was without war rant of law. The director general was reported as declaring that no matter what term was applied to the Work of the board in its attempt at price | readjustments, it was price fixing The Sherman antitrust daw, it was said, was cited by Mir Hines He fur ther stated, it was said, that the rail- road administration should be left to make it's purchases at prices agree able to it and that he would not ac- cept arbitrary prices recommended by Continued on Page 3, Col 9 |