The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-19
QUOTE PRICES AT MINES
LOWER THAN LAST YEAR
Better Grades of Coal Have Advanced
But Lower Grades Declined, Max
ing Average Of all Grades Less.

Senate subcommittee in its first days
inquiry here into the coal situation.
Prices at the mine, Mr.. Morrow added,
have declined under the competition
which prevails and are lower now than
they were year ago.
"There are about 5000 separate com.
mercal producers operating approx,
mately 1000 mines, from which bi-
luminous coal is regularly shipped"
Mr.. Morrow said. In addition there
are some 1000 operators with about
| 1900 mines, who begin producing and
selling coal whenever the price goes
up little and offers a profit to them.
Thus in 1917 coal production was re-
ported to the United States Geological
Survey from 1864 mines. Moreover,
! there are hundreds of thousands of
acres Of coal lands along railroads Oh
which new mines can be readily and
quickly opened by any one 50 disposed.
"Such condition obviously does not
lend itself to restrictive combinations
among producers. In addition the OPP
orators of each mining field are sub.
jCct to competition from the producers
of other fields, 50 that buyers have
many different sources Of supply avail
| able to them,
anyone who alleges that there is a
nationwide combination among btu
! mil
the conditions of bituminous coal pro-
| duction and distribution, merely adj
vertseS his own ignorance, or convicts
himself of deliberate and vicious mis-
statements.
'Of the 5000 separate bituminous
coal producers in the United States,
2,294, Approximately IS per cent, hold
membership IN the National Coal AS
sOcatiOn, They produce about sixty
per cent 0fthe total output Of bitumin-
Gus in the country.
Charges that the National Coal As
ISOLATION Is a combination to maintain
prices are@Wit hout foundation In facts.
They doJbAeSs proceed simply from
ign0rance5ef its purpose and activities.
The National Coal Association neither
buys nor sells coal; neither does ii
have anytlualg whatever to do with the
prices whiSitS members ask or sell
at, nor with the territory into which
they ship their coal, nor the quantity
which they produce
Mr. Morrow stated that btuminous
coal prices have declined since the
armiStce, and in general are lower
than the prices fixed by the United
States Fuel Administration. He sub
mitted charts to the committee graph
iCalIy showing the prices which bitum-
nous coal sold at the mines in differ
pIt districts of the United States from
April to August |, 1919. In connec-
tion with these charts Mr., Morrow OK
planned that when the price reStric.
tionS Of the Fuel Administration were
removed on February last the bet
Ter, more desirable Goals went to pre-
MUM in the open competitive market
and the less desirable Goals declined
in price This was the action to be eN-
pected, he said, in II market where the
buyer exercises his choice and can OBJ
tain the kind he prefers. As result,
instead Of the uniform prices in differ
ent districts, which were fixed by the
United States Fucl Administration,
prices promptly spread out, some coal
going higher and some lower than they
had been
"Meantime," Mr.. Morrow said the
cost of producing bituminOuS coal il
l. ;,.I,,, L., Il