New Britain herald., 1922-10-28
 COMMUNICATED
The Coal Question Again,

The Goal question Again. l Editor of The Herald:
 Dear Sir: Would you mind answering the following questions?:
 ! Was there an understanding oI agreement among the dealers in this state in regard to a maximum whole sale price for coal, so that coal could be sold at retail in this city for about $16.o0?
 If that is so. isn't Christ as our fuel commissioner. violating that un- derstanding or agreement by sanc- tioning the action of our coal deal CTS, who claim that they paid more than any one else in the state for their coal, so of course must ask nore for their coal.
 Where do you think the price of coal Is liable to soar, if this sort of thing becomes common-bidding up the price of coal I mean?
 Do you think the people of New Britain want more than their share of coal-the working people refer to, not the people with large or good incomes? They will have plenty of coal if the price goes to $40.oO per ton.
 The reason I ask the question above is because every extra ton of coal brought into this city over our ger capita. share is depriving some other town or city of that amount of coal which rightfully belongs to it..
 If the mayor is playing politics, though I do not believe that he is, l positively believe that he is sincere ln his striving to keep down the price of coal; but don't let us have any argument, grant that the mayor is playing politics; don't you think it is pretty good politics, and that it wouldn't hurt if some of the repub- licans that are scared stiff over the possibility of losing their soft jobs would take leaf out of the mayors book. and try to reduce the price of coal instead of raising it, and few other things that might be men, toned.
 straight republican ticket, but have doubts at present.
 A. CITIZEN.
 You have asked questions which we will answer to the best of our ability.
 There is no understanding. to our knowledge, between coal dealers of the state setting either a maximum or minimum price of coal. Con- necticut is one of the few states which has not officially fixed a max mum price to be paid.
 Mir. Christ has simply guessed" that coal at a price is better than no coal, or a little, at a minimum of say s16.50. The dealers, in buying high priced coal, have done likewise. They may be wrong; if so, if coal later becomes more plentiful and the market is flooded with cheaper coal the dealers stand to lose considerable money and Mr. Christ considerable prestige.
 The price of coal will be regulated by the law of supply and demand. good as another's. If you were threatened with freezing to death, to and there was one ton of coal left in the city you would pay most any price to keep off the cold, would you not?
 It is not the Herald's province to decide what New Britain wants. The dealers, as we have said before. have guessed that citizens will want coal at any price in order that they may keep warm. We do not know wheth- CT the dealers are right or wrong. Time alone will tell.
 The rest of your communication is not in the form of a question. However, in the coal crisis that has arisen, it simply is question of the "devil take the hindmost' in the | scramble to get coal. The local dealers are not getting any more profit from the high priced coal than NE'MTT1DEC QN