The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-05
STILL IN CONTROL.
Vermont Fuel Administration Can Settle
Abuses.

Vermont Fuel Administration Can Settle
Abuses.
Fl, J. NJ Jones, state fuel administra.
tor, has released for publication the fol-
lowing, which shows that an increase in
prices ia TO occur on some kinds of coal,
while a drop will take place on others, it
is expected. 1t shows that any abuse of
the fuel conditions can still be handled
by the state fuel administration. The
statement follows;
Maximum prices on anthracite coal to-
gether with all other coal and coke reg
ulations except three, were suspended, eff
fective Feb. !, in a blanket order issued
to-day by the United States fuel admin
strstor, Harry A. Garfield.
The only restrictions not suspended
as to coke and all coal, are:
Those requiring that contracts be made
subject to maximum prices ii reinstated,
subject to cancellation by the fuel ad.
ministration and subject to requisition
or diversion of coal by the fuel admins
tration.
Those prohibiting reconsignments of
coal
Those requiring shipments Of coal to
tidewater TO go through the Tidewater
Coal exchange.
The tidewater and reconsignment reg
ulations were retained at the request Of
the railroad administration, to avoid con-
gestion Of coal at tidewdtRr, and the re.
sultant embargoes.
To-day's order includes the suspension
Of price and zone regulations on coke and
bituminous coal which, ii was announced
Jan. II, would be effective Feb. l. As
the administration control Of the oil in
dustry has been suspended with the eX-
ception of certain natural gas regula-
tions, the effect Of to-day's order was
said to be that the fuel administration
controls are now relaxed to the present
limit Of safety, pending the proclamation
of peace, when the administration auto.
matically will terminate
It was pointed out that as the respon-
sibilities Of the fuel administration under
the Lever act continue as long as state
Of war officially exists. any of these sus-
pended regulations may be reinstated or
others may be put into effect should oc-
casion arise. An instance of the continu-
ing activities OF the administration was
found in It's bureau Of labor, which win
function actively during the armistice.
Any dispute failing in settlement be-
tween the parties at interest must be
submitted as heretofore TO the fuel ad.
ministration for final disposition without
stoppage Of work.
The following statement was issued:
By his executive order of Aug, %, 1917,
the president adopted as maximum
prices for anthracite coal, the schedule of
prices which had been aequieseed in by
the industry while under investigation
by the federal trade commission under
the so-called Calder resolution of the
Senate, This involved one price for the
railroad controlled coal companies and a
price rs cents higher for the individuals.
With the exception OF reduction of 80
cents a ton in the prices for pea coal
made Oct. !, 1917, and two adjustments
to cover increases in miners wages, the
fuel administration allowed the prices
fixed by the president to stand pending
examination of costs such as were made
in the case Of bituminous coal.
For the purpose Of arriving at fair
increase in price to cover the increase in
board last October, an examination was
made to determine the costs of the va.
rious anthracite producing companies.
The result of this examination showed
that the general increases in the price Of
materials and labor had raised the cost Of
mining anthracite TO such an extent that
many of the companies were not receiv-
ing a fair return and that some producers
of necessary coal were actually sustain
| ing loss on the sale Of coal at the gov
erumeut prices, in spite of the two in.
creases allowed on account of advances
to labor
At the time this situation was discov-
| cred every indication pointed to an early
peace and it was deemed unwise to in
crease the maximum prices so near the
time when, on account of the end Of the
war, price restrictions would, in the nat
ural course of events, be lifted entirely.
The above statement is made at this
time, when price restrictions are about to
be lifted, out of fairness to those com
panies who have periodically kept up
their production to war needs. even at q
cost which resulted in many instances in
a loss, not only by the individuals, but
also DY some OF Lne railroad companies,
so that the impression shall not exist
that the government prices of anthracite
coal in existence at the time of the lift
ing Of restrictions were prices which the
fuel administration had fixed on the ba.
sis of cost to the operators.
Had the fuel administration active
control over maximum prices on anthra-
cite coal been continued, the cost exam
nation above referred to shows that it
would have been necessary, on a basis of
the present wage scale, to raise these
maximum prices possibly as much as so
cents a ton above those last fixed by the
government, i'll order to prevent financial
embarrassment and perhaps the closing
of companies producing a substantial per
cent Of the necessary anthracite output
Such a curtaiment of production would
eventually result in the demand exceed
ing the supply to such an extent as to in.
crease the prices much higher than they
would be if that supply were continued