Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-12-03
GRAND FORKS
ASKED TO AID
lNCAMPAlGN
Brockton, Mass, Starts
Drive to Have Congress
Regulate Coal Prices.
800
!. Starts

The Grand Forks city commission,
In conjunction with other city gov
erning bodies in the state, has been
and city counci of BrokstOn, Mass. in
securing congressional action to pre-
vent exorbitant prices OF coal and 9TH
er commodities n to make it easier
to prosecute profteers.
j. Albert Sullivan, city clerk at
Brockton, in a letter to City Auditor
Charles Evanson. calls attention ..tp
the fact that hard coal is selling in
Brockton at from SIS to $3.50 a o
and soft coal at from SIG to SIS. He
said that the prices are unwarranted
by any increase 'of wages or a nj
portation charges"
"Gross profiteering is going m, and
although prices may drop temporarily
1.-THE same exploitation may occur
again unless conditions are changed
through new legislation"
The Brockton officials have address,
ed a petition to every member of con-
gress. setting forth a plan to regulate
prices. Three suggestions for a bill
are given, and cities throughout the
country have been asked to cooper
ate In the move. Fargo. Jamestown.
Bismarck. Williston and Grand Forks
are the cities appealed to in North
Dakota. Y
The following suggestions for bills
are given:
Suggestion No. 1.-THE Interstate
Commerce Commission is hereby di-
rected and empowered to fix the price
Of coal, kind n quality considered.
whenever'and wherever sold either by
producer or dealer; to establish rules
for the regulation Of and to regulate
the method" OF production. sale, ship
ment. distribution, apportionment' or
storage thereof among dealers and
consumers; and to ave such other
powers relating thereto as it now ex-
ercises over railroads and common
carriers. 1t shall not be incumbent
upon said commission to fix the prices
at small mines producing coal for To-
by petition or complaint; neither shall
it be required to fix prices for the
sale of coal by retailers unless similar
ly requested.
Suggestion No. Amy committee
or agent authorized to represent a
city. town. state or group of the same.
upon application to the Interstate
Commerce Commission. shall be is
sued a permit. giving such access to
any records winch nave 10 DO with
the production. sale. shipment, trans
portaticn. distribution, apportionment
o., storage Of coal. as will give ade-
cuate information. whether or not
the provisions of this act are com
piled with and observed.
Suggestion No. 3-Cntil such tin.>
as the commission can put into effec,
It's control of the coal industry: the
following regulations are to govern
the production and sale Of COAL. The
wholesale price of coal. kind anG
quality considered, at any mine shall
IN no case exceed the base price sc
called fixed by the authority of the
federal government. The wholesale
price of coal not at the mine and solo
through a broker or agent, shall in NJ
case be more han twenty (20) cent
a ton in advance of the base price a
the mine plus the authorized trans
portation5 charge from the nJ;ne. /,
the sale and 5hinment OF coal at TIL
min and elsewhere. orders from
consumers. and from dealers sel!in.
directly to consumers. shall take pre-
ceden"e over all other orders. NJ
coal 'ehall be sold for shipment out O
the country; until. in the Judgment o
the Interstate Commerce Commission
the needs Of domestic consumers ar
retail dealers have been supplied o
cared for"