Evening star., 1919-12-26
RETAILERS Of COAL
MAY HAVE TOPAY
RETROACTIVE RAISE
Many Wholesalers Indorse
, Invoices Covering Past
Deliveries.

Coal that was delivered to Wash
ington consumers in November and
this much of December, and that al
ready has been burned, may cost the
dealers who sold it anywhere from
50 to so cents a ton in addition to
the price already paid for it. Coal
operators and big operating and
wholesale corporations selling coal to
local retailers. apparently bent on
defying orders of the fuel admins
tration. the central coal committee
and the railroad administration. are
rubber stamping or writing in red
ink across the face of invoices notices
to this effect.
The threatened increase is to be
retroactive to November l. according
to the rubber stamp or red ink in
dorsement on the faces of the in
voices.
Many Threaten Increase.
Local dealers today said that by no
means all of the big operating and
wholesale corporations and COM
panies are putting this threat of a
retroactive increase on invoices. but
that many of the largest concerns
supplying bituminous coal to Wash
ington retail dealers are so indorsing
their invoices The increase, it was
stated today. applies only to bitumi-
nous or soft coal. anthracite coal not
being affected as yet.
All invoices sent to one large retail
dealer by the Consolidation Coal Com
pany since November bear the
notification of the proposed retroac-
tive increase. it was stated by the
manager of the retail company to-
day The Consolidation Coal Com
pany operates large mines near Cum
berland. Frostburg and Homecoming,
Nd and Somerset. Pa.
Local retailers handling New River
coal said today that some of the COM
panies operating in that field are, by
means of rubber stamps or red ink
notations on the face of invoices
notifying their customers of pos
sible increase in price ranging from
30 to so cents ton. retroactive to
include all coal sold since November
l. Other companies operating in the
New River field. from which comes
much of the best bituminouS coal
used in Washington. have not as yet
given notice OF the proposed retroac-
tive increases.
Violates Fuel Orders.
Dealers said today that the action
of the operating and wholesaling con-
Germs plainly is a violation of orders
issued by the fuel administrator and
the railroad administration at the
time a tentative basis of settlement
of the coal strike was reached last
November. Al tndt llfne. WHcH 1t
per cent increase in pay of miners
was proposed as means of settling
the strike. it was stated by the fuel
administrator and the railroad ad-
ministration that operators would
not be permitted to pass the increase
on to the retail trade and thence to
consumers.
Say Retailers Must Pay.
Local coal dealers said today that
il the retroactive increase is permit
ted it will have to come out of the
pockets of the retailers, as much of
the coal was sold in quantities Of
from a single ton to much larger
amounts. This coal, it was stated.
now is in the bins of the; buyers or
has been burned, and retailers who
sold it could not possibly recoup their
losses on account of the Increase by
requiring theirscastomers to pay an
additional amount. for coal already
bought. paid for and burned.
The dealers szidafurEAeE that if the
proposed increases are refnHfted they
will have only stfie choice of laying
them and continuing to obtain sup
plies of coal or refusing to pay the
increase and having future supplies
cut Off.