The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-27
CALDER LAYS COAL
BLAME TO PALMER
Acts Too Late to Halt Profit
teermg as in Sugar, Says
Senator.
S14.5O A TON PROFIT SEEN
Fuel Gouging Is Costing PeO-
pie 100000 a Day,
Asserts StOrrow.

Senator calder discussed coal profteer-
ing last night in his address at the Repub-
lican mass meeting in Prospect Hall.
Brooklyn. and sharply criticised be-
lated efforts of the Department of JUS
tice to afford relief. He took for his
text the summoning of conference in
Cleveland yesterday OF all soft coal OPP
orators OF the country.
ut is reported in newspaper des-
patches from washington" said he.
that the National Coal Association. at
the suggestion Of the Attorney General,
has called g meeting of mine owners
in Cleveland for October 26, and that the
Attorney Generals suggestion carries
the assurance that any action toward
the reduction OF prices and the elimina-
ton of profiteering would not be con-
strued under the Lever act as an in
fringement of the law: that the Attor-
ney-General had assured the National
Coal Association that action to reduce
high prices II taken without infringe
ment of certain limitations-which he
viii communicate to the association
and the necessary discussion thereon by
the bituminous coal operators attending
the meeting, Will not be in violation OF
the Sherman act or OF any other law.
The high cost OF living is one OF the
outstanding facts OF our day. New legis-
lation can do little II our existing laws
cannot be enforced. especially the laws
against profiteering. For this the nation
has turned in vain to the Department
% 1T AA1A
Palmer. Attorney General. who, after an
Incredible six months orgy of profiteer-
ing in coal. is now suggesting a meeting
of the coal operators.
"Can we hope that Mr.. Palmer. at this
late hour. will do any better on coal
than he did on sugar?"
Senator Calder reviewed the failure of
| the Government to contract for the
| Cuban sugar crop of 1919 at low price.
RE compared the present coal situation
! With the sugar market of a year ago
and continued:
! 80 ends the siclIening story Of sugar.
! FOR which We have been paying 25 and
| 80 cents a pound adding hundreds of
| millions TO the high cost of living, until
| the market has at last broken Of it's own
weight. and we have to-day, Il is said,
! 1888 900. 900 pounds more sugar In the
! United States or afloat to the United
| States than we had at this time last
year.
I'm mentioning the sufferers from the
| coal prohteering orgy, l should include
those dependent upon the revival of con-
I Struction and should also include the
/ United sta .es Government itself as a
sufferer Admiral Benson. chairman of
the United States Shipping Board ii is
I said. recently declared: 1t Is outrage
Gus that the Government should have
4 % pay SIS to $40 ton for it's coal. He
y i,gured- coal at the mine at 81 n ton
and added $3.50 for dumping and trans
portation charges. Somebody must be
getting the difference he is quoted as
saying The difference is s14.50 ton.
Selling prices of SIS. $40 and $50 have
reen frequently mentioned.
Mr. Storrow, Fuel Administrator of
New England. told the Senate Commit
tee on Reconstruction, of which l am
chairman. that the cost of coal profiteer-
ing TO the American people was $1,000,
600 day, and j have been informed
hat coal profiteering is costing the gas
consumers of Massachusetts alone at the
rate of $500. 600 year.
while our own Government has
taken no action to protect its people. it
is reported that the French Government
mas taken such drastic action that our
coal profiteers have sought the interven-
ton of our State Department to force
their high priced coal on the French
public.
Now that .the season for purchasing
coal is drawing TO n close. the Attorney
General. who has taken no effective
action TO protect the public in the mean
time. is calling this conference OF the
coal operators. with certain suggestions.
| assurances and limitations