New Britain herald., 1922-12-07

For the next two weeks, if the coal dealers can hold out that long selling coal, as they claim, at a loss. purchase anthracite for furnaces and kitchen ranges at any price ranging from $i6.S0 a ton to $l7.60, but will be required to take mixed coal. Straight sizes, such as a full ton of pea, nut, stove or egg, have been re- moved from the market.
 This was decided upon at meet ing of coal dealers with the fuel com mission late yesterday afternoon. All the coal dealers were present but two and signed an agreement in effect as follows upon the insistence of the fuel commissions
 All Favor Agreement.
 Upon the insistence of the New Britain fuel commission. we, the un- dersigned coal dealers of the city of New Britain. do hereby agree not to sell coal in egg and stove sizes in proportions more than so per cent. egg and stove sizes and 20 per cent. buckwheat and 50 per cent. pea coal WILL Ou WI Stul. IIul. uc OtucI two dealers signed the agreement this morning.
 This action was taken when J. &. North, acting as chairman in tho ab- sence of E. w. Christ who is in the hospital for a slight operation. in sisted that the price of $1S.50 per ton for domestic sizes. agreed upon by all but one dealer two weeks ago. be maintained for another two weeks. MT. North flatly informed the deal CTS that tho local commission would not authorize a price higher than $lS.50.
 Among those present were Mayor Paonessa and K. r. Applegate of Hartford, secretary to State Fuel Commissioner Thomas w. Russell.
 The dealers maintained that they would lose money at the price of s1S.50 inasmuch as they are experi- encing considerabl difficulty getting company coal and arc compelled to pay prices which vary as much as s6 g ton. Many companies insist that dealers who buy domestic sizes must buy at the same time a. certain amount of buckwheat coal. for which there is little market. This makes the other coal decidedly more expen- sive.
 Will Be Glad To Get Substitutes.
 MT. Applegate said the time is not far distant when people will be glad to buy buckwheat, pea coal. soft coal CT any kind of substitute. He said s,. r. oIAv one-third buckwheat with two-thirds larger sizes.
 Nathan Berson, dealer, wanted Mayor Paonessa to issue an order re- quiring mixture of 20 per cent buckwheat and S0t per cent egg or stove. The mayor replied that he had no authority to issue an order but that he would be glad to issue a proclamation calling upon the people to cooperate with the dealers in help ing to make the coal more elastic.
 It was said that New Britain had received 16.00O tons of coal up to December 4, which, it is claimed, is 1000 tons more than the city could have gotten had the dealers held off for company coal at lower price.
 Coal Will Be Scarce Here.
 This 16,000 tons is almost half of the allotment for the winter. New Britain is allowed 36.00o tons up until April l. With 10000 in, there arc but 10000 tons more to be received, shipment of which will be spread over the next three months and half, probably
 
 If the city had received it's coal in monthly allotments it would haveNre ceived up to date but 12,000 tons, Mr Applegate stated. 1t was figured hy one dealer using as a basis fuel com mission figures of an average con of 300 tons daily, that New Britain will need 36,000 tons more for the winter This means a short age of i6.0o0 tons between the necd- ed amount and the allotment
 Bcrson Wants To See Egg.
 Mir Berson reported that he had s16.000 worth of egg coal on hand, which is costing him six per cent for his money. He objected to the fuel commission ruling that nnta