South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-10-26
COAL BARONS
WILL DISCUSS
PRICE DROP
More Than 1000 Operators
Meet in Cleveland at Pal
mer's Request.

CLEVELAND. O.. oct 26.-Hur-
dreds Of bituminous Goa operat-
ors from various producing fields
throughout the country reached
. Cleveland Monday night for a gen
eral meeting here Tuesday, at
which a communication from Atty.
Gen Palmer urging action toward
a lowering Of excessive prices for
soft coal will be taken up.
The meeting which has been
. called by Col ID. b. Vent OF
Philadelphia, president Of the Ma
tiOna Coal association. is expected
to be one of the most important i'm
the history Of the industry.
Judging from arrivals here Mon
day night, IL is anticipated .haJ up
wards of a thousand OF the 1000
soft coal producers of the country.
who have been invited TO attend.
viii participate in Tuesdays meet
ing. and IL is assured that the at
4 tcrney generals communication viii
! be the basis for a free and open
/ discussion of the whole soft coal
I situation as it affects prices.
Col. Wentz called the general
meeting a Z the request Of Atty. Gen.
Palmer. so that the attorney gen
\ erals proposal might be put before
all of the representative coal oper-
atOrs.
II was explained Monday night
that the National Coal association,
/ whose membership embraces $500
/ operators with more than thfee-
fourths OF the aggregate soft coal
/ output which viii this year reach
nearly $4,000, 600 tons. cannot. be-
! cause Of the nature of its charter
| take any action relating 10 price
fixing Because OF this Col Went7
decided 10 put the matter before
the general body Of coal operators
but as individuals, representing the
various fields
While il is not thought that the
/ operators az Tuesdays meeting will
: attempt 10 fix any maximum price
for soft coal, il Is understood tbat
. the majority Of those operators in
| Cleveland might support a resolu-
! tion favoring fair and reasonable
prices and only a reasonable profit
20 the operators
Tt was also said that out OF the
meeting may come a recommends
tiou for what is known as fair
price committees of operators IN
{. the different soft mining fields
where excessive prices have existed
Such committees have been organ
lied I'm cooperation with the attor-
/ ney generals office, in districts I'm
West Virginia, Alabama Kentucky
and other places recently These
I committees are now working tC
/ eliminate all abuses i'm the han
/ ding Of coal after ii leaves the
/ mines as well as to see that mine
prices wherever eXorbitant. are
brought down.
Operators here Monday night said
that with the recent production OF
soft coal, now aggregating nearly
J.. 900 900 tons a week excessive
prices wherever they have pre-.
vailed are rapidly coming down
The same operators say tha
throughout the coal 81 rta g
emergency the great bulk of bitumi
nous coal has been sold under con.
tract at the mines at nomEa
prices
Aside from the matter OF hief
prices. the operators Tuesday vii
discuss efforts already under way
backed by the National Coal asso
citation, 20 eliminate objectloua bI,
practices in the resale Of coal botf
as 10 export trade and movement O.
coal for domestic uses. The asso
citation Il was said. has been co
operating with the attorney gen
erals office for some weeks 20 rio
the industry If this evil
Before Tuesdays general meetin.
Of all operators, the National Goa
!; association will meet to take a sur
, vey OF the soft coal situation
) throughout the country