Norwich bulletin., 1920-11-20
CLAIMS HARD COAL PRICES ARE UNJUSTIFIED

w. Jett LauclS, counsel and economist of the anthracite mine workers, has charged that Philadelphia consumers are paying $S.25 a ton more than q reason- able price for hard coal. In state ment backing up his chafges, he said in the columns of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, that only a sweeping invesitga- tion of the entire industry could bring about the constructive reforms in the hard-coal trade necessary to guarantee the public fair prices for domestic fuel ''The attitude of the anthracite in- dustry,'' continued MT. Lauek. lis strict ly negative and devoid of any sense of public responsibility. As a matter of fact, at the recent hearing of the anthra- cite commission, they even claimed that the public was not interested in the pro ceeding. further illustration of that at- titude is furnished by their refusal at the present time to make any reports to the federal trade commission showing their l cost of production"
 l Mir. Lauck repeated his charges that hard-coal consumers are being charged an excess or apparent profit of at least l $3.25 a ton, and called attention to the unanswered figures he had submitted to support the charges. He further insisted 1 that if the problem were attacked at it's roots, and the vast hidden profits of the anthracite combination be eliminated, "it | is possible that the retail price of anthra- cite coal could be reduced by s5 or ss 1 ton and still leave fair margin of
 profit to the operators"
 l Elaborate data and exhibits on arthra- cite prices and producing costs, Mir. Lauck said, were prepared for submis-
 sion at the recent sessions of President | Wilson's anthracite commission, but I r1 l, a plea of the operators that 1t was not the
 business of the presidents commission which had been created to settle wage dispute, to pry into the cost of anthracite production and its relation to wages and the cost of living.
 '"The operators" said MT Lauck
 "were afraid of publicity They strenu.
 ously opposed the submission of our ev
 idence, and finally on purely technica grounds prevailed upon the chairman ts exclude these fundamental figures.
 'sFhe exhibits which we had prepared
 and which we were not permitted to sub ! init showed:-
 First. There was no relation betweel
 wages paid at the mines or labor cost
 and the prices charged consumers fo
 fuel
 Second. The anthracite industry Is to day dominated by seven different rail
 roads each of which controls the produc
 tion, transportation and sale to loca
 dealers of a certain proportion of the to tai anthracite consumed. proportion [ which tends to remain constant.
 Third. This domination has resulte from a consistent effort to render secur for all time an adequate proportion of a-'
 thracite traffic to these railroads. Tn
 only surety for this lay in buying up tn
 majority of anthracite lands. reserves an
 operations, or securing permanent con , trol of the output of independent opera tions.
 Fourth Before the end of the 1st century the railroad companies. either or
 erating directly or through their their cos . companies. had come into the owner . ship of over go per cent of the unnine
 coal. If we add the amount controlled b contract the percentage of unnined cos free from control of the railroad com panies amount to less than per cent. Fifth The majority of the anthra . cite roads came to be represented in tn mining of anthracite by separately incol } ported coal companies either created b : the railroads or acquired by stock pul shase. Until the period of reorgar' : tzation the entire stock of these coal cor panies was held by the separate rai } roads.
 l "sixth The railroads estab1ishe = of anthracite that it became iTnpossibl 5 for q coal .connpany to oDarate at 2 prof The coal companies were then supporte