The Washington herald., 1921-02-12
Justice Agents Prepared
To Prosecute Cases,
LaFollette Says.
COMBINE CHARGED
TO KEEP UP PRICES
Evidence Before Senators
Stops When Chairman
Announces Plans.

That the Department n Justice
will prosecute Washington coal
dealers alleged to have combined TO
prevent reduction in prices was an
nounced yesterday by Senator La
Toilette. Of Wisconsin, chairman Of
the Senate Coal Investigating Com
mittee.
/ W. W. Grinth. director OF the
Standard Coal Company. was testI-
fying in defense Of the dealers when
the announcement was made. Upon
the advice OF his counsel he with
drew without finishing his testi-
mony.
/ Grifith. l.. T. White. Johnston
Zimmerman and others were named
in the testimony Of John c. L. Rit-
/ ter, Z. NJ. Van Ness, George ". Rue,
I Ernest l.. Daniel and Lester Il
! Charlton in their charges that they
were forced out OF thf coal bust
ness during 1873 by the pressure
Of the association"
Can Start at Once.
Senator LsFCllette said he had
been informed by an ofhcisI uf the
| Department Of Justice that in the
light Of the evidence given before
/ the committee. the prosecutions
would be started al once against
members Of the organization which
existed in 1919. The present or
ganization is that Of the Coal Mer-
chants Board Of Trade and Ritter
says the old organization changed
Identity after he had nIcd suit
against the Standard Coal Company.
with which Grifith is connected.
Zimmerman is secretary Of the Coal
Merchants Board uf Trade CharI-
ton charged that Zimmerman caused
him to stop advertising reduced
prices by telling him the assoCia-
tion insisted upon II.
Says Ne Cot PrIes.
! Ritter charged that White -r-f
others refused TO scn him cnal for
his customers when h, Was iu tho
q coal business bocaus" his price or
$685. was $50 below the price fixed
by the dealers in tho alleged com
binc
Grihth explained yesterday that
the conditions caused By the war
and the~aUthorization by the Com
mitteC on National Defensa Of 10
per cent extra charge on transpor-
tatiOn and shrinkaEe nccessftatcd
} the dealers being brought together
for properly handling the District
and Federal fuel situation He SAID
q the handling Of coal was placed in
the hands Of the fuel administra-
tion. with John l. Weaver a. local
administrator. in August. 1917. that
Weaver appointed board OF ad-
visers. consisting Or Edward Cola
day, John Hsmon. Clarence Aspen
wall. himself and possibly another.
? The retail coal merchants met soon
after this
stops Testimony.
II was at this point that GriHth
o dropped his testimony Senator La
Toilette had informed him OF the
: advice received from tho Depart
ment Of Justice and asked II he
/. wished to 60 on with his testimony,
waving any claims to immunity.
Frank X. Nebekpr assistant to
the Attorney General who is said to
be in charge Of prepa rstions for the
2 prosecutions. was out OF his office
last night when the senate hearing
closed for the day.
, Inc nearing yesterday was crowd
ed with coal dealers and producers,
among the number being J. n. A.
Morrow. vice president and W r.
Reed, secretary. OF the National
I Coal Association.
Morrow Surprised.
5 THE revelations at tins hearing
, are all a surprise to me" said Nor
row. My association has nothing
l to do with the local distribution Of
coal. We sell coal at the mines and
know nothing about where il goes,
. except the names OF the ConsiEneCs.
We have had nothing to do with
q any price fixing in Washington.
The bearing concerns US in the
larger sense. The committee Is in
vestiEatinE the situation with q
view to determining the ACCESSIBILITY
' of Federal regulation"
Representative George Huddle-
ston. OF Alabama. completed his
testimony yesterday in regard TO
\ the situation in his State.