Arizona republican., 1920-07-12
sv Frederiok J. Haskin


 CLEVELAND, O., July 9.-Cleveland is again preparing to go into the coal business A new fuel official has been appointed by the mayor at the sugges- ton Of the city council, and arrange ments are being made for the estab lishment of a municipal coal pile. to be opened for the benefit of the public on September l. When the cold weather comes and the price of coal scars above SIS per ton, as every body predicts it will, Cleveland is going to furnish coal to householders at cost, plus the ex pense of delivery.
 Cleveland is within so miles of one of the largest coal mining districts in the country. and yet it is now suffer ing from an acute coal shortage. The reason advanced by coal dealers is that the railroads will not provide enough cars to transport the coal from the mines. They also claim that strikes among the miners have prevented a normal production Of coal which will result in an actual shortage during the coming winter.
 This seems to be considered suffi- cient excuse for immediately trebling the price of coal-at least by the coal dealers. But neither the city authori- ties of Cleveland nor the United States attorney general. Mir. Palmer. agrees with them.
 Indeed, the latter disagrees so fore billy with the coal dealers that he has ordered a state wide investigation ok coal prices and the prosecution of operators who are charging more than $2.79 a ton for the bituminous product. According to him. the wholesale and retail dealers in coal are guilty of cir culating deliberate propaganda con corning a coal shortage in order to boost fuel prices.
 Says Dealers Exauuerate
 The production of coal has been hampered." he admits. but there is no serious shortage. Dealers are publish ing congregations in the hope of creat- ing false prices More coal was mined during the first four months of 1920 than during any similar period in the history of the country"
 i In ordering prosecutions under the Lever act, MT. Palmer eXplainer that during the month of April with the production cost of coal at S2.19 a ton, operators sold their product a s3 and $4 a ton. Since then, the price has ] been forced as high as S7 and $11 a ton. Indeed, if MT. Palmer only knew 1 it. the price of coal in Cleveland and Cincinnati is much higher than that. Cleveland. moreover. is not cheered ! by Mir Palmer's sanguine belief that the investigation of coal prices by the agents of the department of justice, however ruthless they may be with \ Reds" is going to result in bringing 1 coal prices down. The coal dealers are 1 for the most part American citizens, in ] absolute accord with the American system of government. which funda- mentally does not object to free profit 1 eering.
 Anyway. Cleveland is not taking any chances. It is going about the solution Of the fuel difficulty in it's own way with apologies to the local coal dealers It is preparing to have q coal yard. tc fill it with about 5000 tons of coal and dispose. Of it frugally in small sacks or in one-ton loads at the most to individual families. Tn taking this important step. the city authorities hasten to add that they have no ur- friendly feeling toward the local coal dealers that is the local and legiti- mate coal dealers. We are not in business" declares one of the city fue
 experts. ito disorganize any industry
 Our object is not to run in competition
 with legitimate dealers, so long as they