The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-09
HARD COAL MEN JOIN
U. S. IN PRICE WAR
Continued from First Page.

Department OF Justice. These costs
plus the fair mad reasonable profit jas
above indicated can be the only Justl-
hcation for the prices charged in excess
of the fair. stabilized prices indicated
by the committee.
ut is realized that fair distribution
is closely identified with fair prices in
accomplishing the general results which
the Department of Justice seeks Each
operator pledges himself to an equitable
distribution OF his product, based on the
average of the last three years to the
communities dependent upon his COAL
so the domestic needs of such COM
munities may be taken care of. Where
coal Is sold through wholesaler the
producer should see that 1t is distrib-
uted TO such communities as have been
in the past dependent upon that pro-
ducers coal, so that such communities
may continue to get such tonnage as a
part OF their necessary domestic
! supply"
| None OF the series Of pledges was
more important perhaps. than was the
notice served upon all anthracite coal
| operators failing to join in the move
ment or declining to cooperate that the
! substantial element of the industry viii
assist the Department of Justice In
maintaining prosecutions or mose VINO
refuse to cooperate"
John Markle. who Is a member OF the
policies committee and is the largest
| of the independent anthracite operators,
was seen in this city yesterday and ex-
pressed himself as sanguine OF the
salutary effect OF the action taken In
Philadelphia. Mr.. Markle Is president
of the @. 3. Markle Company. miners
and shippers of Jeddo and Highland
Lehigh coal, and also of the John
NJ T. Tn
distributing corporation lie has been
for forty years an acknowledged leader
in the industry.
Mr.. Markle was asked II he would
comment upon the threat of Senators
Calder and Edge to advocate national
| ization of the coal industry unless some
| effective housekeeping should be done
speedily.
Eyes" he said. 81 have seen those ar
| ticles. I am glad you called my atten-
| ton to them. Theirs is simply a repe-
| tition Of the error that as q rule news
paper men are making in discussing the
coal situation. They make no distinction
| between btuminous coal and anthracite
coal They use only the word coal
There is no question in my mind that
to a certain extent there have been some
abnoEnal selling prices at the anthra-
cite mines. In some Instances such
prices have been eXacteo LOT hntiracite
coal by anthracite coal men. But Tar
more often the offenders have been men
who never had been connected with the
industry but who have been In the re-
gion buying at the mines and then
charging such abnormal prices that
when the coal reaches the consumer It's
cost is really prohibitory.
THE Department OF Justice called this
condition to the attention of the Anthra-
cite Coal Operators Association and the
association Immediately pledged to that
Department its cooperation In attempt
ing to reduce excessive prices OF an
thracite coal at the mines, thereby sta
bilizing the market and eliminating sucn
bad practices as may have grown up m
the industry through improper and un-
satisfactory methods of distribution
The Anthracite Coal Operators Asso-
citation is about completing formation or