The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-17

bama and hence such iutiuenes or pressure as I find possible s exert in the matter of co@. prices sllA be used first for the protection of con sumers within the state and then for citizens of other states.
 "The Alabama public service com mission has assured the interstate commerce commission of its full co- operation in the matter of distrl- button of cars and the state fuel comm iesioner will cooperate with you in the matter of maint nns prices with the understanding that first consideration In the matter of distribution of cars and coal prices must be given to coal consumers within the state of Alabama"
 Cox's Letter
 Fuel Administrator Cox's letter to NIT. Yerkes advising him of the pol icy of the state follows: "At the urgent request of Mir. Hoover and for the protection of the rights ot the people of Alabama, Gov. Thomas E. Kilby has directed that this de- pertinent exert every possible energy towards obtaining the cooperation of <he Alabama coal operators m maintaining the Hoover fair price for coal. It has been incdicated to Secretary Hoover that the Alabama operators do not intend to respect their agreement of June i with re- gard to prices and I take this means of advising you of the attitude of Governor Kilby, which is fully con- cured in by this department and by the Alabama public service commls' sion to state that in the allocation of railway cars preferences will Se given to those coal operators who are a frxe frf s@rt1
 We earnestly solicit the co-opera tion of your committee and through you of the Alabama operators in maintaining the Hoover fair price schedule and we hope that 1t will. not be necessary for any branch of the state or federal governments to take any further steps to Insure com plisnce with those prices in the Ala, bama field"
 Copies of Mir. Cox's letter were mailed to Lieut. P. P. Powell. chair. man of the district coal committee at Birmingham. and James L. Davidson, secretary of the Alabama mining in- stitute at Birmingham.
 Hints Legislative Action
 Governor Kilby's statement advIs- ing that "the remedy of last resort will be applied" if necessary to main tain fair coal prices follows:
 There Is no law authorizing any state officer to fix or regulate in any manner the price Of coal. It was so in 1920 and 1921 when there was much profiteering in coal and when the state officers were severely criticised by many minimizing and uninformed individuals and by few newspapers which should haFe been better in- formed.
 'The fuel administrator could then only ascertain the current normal price of coal at the mines. freight rates and a reasonable margin = cover drayage. loading unloading and profit to the retailer, and give pub licity to his findings through the press. That Is the only power or au- thority the fuel administrator now has. His function has heretofore been and now Is principally to furnish in- formation to the public so that profi- teers. those unprincipled men who take advantage of the people in time of distress may be located.
 "1t so happens this time fortunate ly. that the public service commits sion. through it's power in co-opera- tion with the interstate commerce commission for the distribution ot coal cars. can be of enormous assist ance to the fuel administrator in checking the purposes of the profi- teer.
 This power will be employed to the