The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-10-26
HIGH PRICES
OF SOFT COAL
UNDER PROBE
Operators of Bituminous Col
lieries Meet at Cleveland
Today To Eliminate Ex-
orbitant Prices at Mines.
EXPECT FAIR PRICES
(By Associated Press.)

CLEVELAND, O., Oct. 26.-Ap-
proximately 1000 Of the 1000 soft coal
operators in the United States, repre-
senting every bituminous producing
district, met here today at the call OF
Colonel ID. B. Wentz, president OF the
National Coal association to consider
the telegram sent to the association
last week by Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer, the telegram urged
orbitant prices for bituminous coal at
the mines.
That resolution favoring "fair and
reasonable" prices with only a reason.
able profit for the opera tors would bs
supported was predicted by operators
previous to going into the conference
hall.
Prices already have dropped in
many places it was declared j. L.
Hatfield of Morgantown, w Va. a
member of the northern West vir.
ginia fair practices committee said in
his district the price had dropped
from s14 to S6 ton in some instances,
even In the brokerage market
The fair practices committee" he
said. was formed by the operators to
stamp out certain practices, the bid
ding up of prices by brokers, for in
stance which had caused the price to
skyrocket. The results already are
apparent
Break In Pittsburgh.
Another operator said that there
had been big break in prices in the
Pittsburgh district.
Besides prices, every angle of the
coal situation, including the possihil.
ity Of shortage, the car supply and
other transport questions, were thresh-
ed out. Little danger exists of seri-
GUS winter shortages anywhere, in the
opinion of operators.
A meeting of the national coal as
sociation, composed of $500 operators
who mine more than three fourths of
the coal produced in the United States,
with an output of nearly $4,000 tons
this year. was held in advance of the
general conference.
An exhaustive survey Of the soft coal
situation was made at the general con-
ference by Colonel Wentz. He told the
operators that shortages throughout
the country in the supply of coal for
immediate uses are rapidly being made
up, owing to accelerated movement OF
coal shipments by the railroads during
the last few weeks.
Overcome Difficulties.
While grave deficiencies existed in
the supply of domestic coal in Ohio,
Indiana, Michigan, Eastern Kentucky,
Eastern Tennessee and Western Penn.
sylvania, up to three weeks ago, these
Colonel WentZ stated are steadily be-
ing overcome. Under the new program
put into effect under the interstate
commerce commissions orders of Oc.
tober S, embracing Al 900 cars a day,
or 105, 900 tons of soft coal, the emer.
gency wants of this territory are being
filled as rapidly as cars can be moved.
The emergency wants of the middle
west and the east have been taken up
by the operators, he continued, and
great quantities of soft coal in the
meantime have been rushed up to the
Great Lakes for transhipment to north
western points. So far has this move
ment progressed, he said, that it now
appears that he Northwest would have
approximately the 22.000.000 tons es-
timated as necessary for winter uses.
In addition to shipments approximat-
ing 100000 tons of bituminous coal
week to the Lake docks, considerable
tonnage is going all-rail to points in
Minnesota. Wisconsin and other north
western states.
Supply Northwest.
AS soon as the Great Lakes supply
has been sent up. toward the end of
November. the 100000 tons now go
ing to the Northwest by that route.
Colonel Wentz said, will be released
for the remainder of the country.
For the last weeks Colonel Wentz
stated, soft coal production has ex-
ceeded 10000 tons a week, the goal
fixed by the operators as necessary to
insure adequate supplies everywhere
in the country for immediate uses and
for the winter. II this output is main
tanned he said, there would be no
doubt but that every part of the coun-
try will have sufficient coal.
To insure against any contingency
of failure to carry out the operators
program. Colonel Wentz declared 1t
was imperative for the railroads to
continue giving cars enough to ship
12.000.0 900 tons weekly, we'll into the
inter.
"If the mines have the cars, there
will be no shortage Of coal anywhere"