Evening star., 1923-07-24
THINKS COAL PRICE
HELD UP BY THREAT
Dealers Here in Power of
Wholesale Combine, Post
Believes.

While a committee was working to-
day at the District building to inves
tigate industrial and private storage
OF coal in Washington. Louis !. Post.
president Of the newly organized Coal
Consumers League, announced that
anthracite dealers here were not, in
his opinion. primarily responsible for
high prices Of coal.
Mr.. Post said today that il was
probable that retail dealers in wash
ington We're forced TO charge high
prices for anthracite under hidden
threat" that their coal supplies would
be curtailed unless the price was kept
up. At the same time he charged
that gigantic combine existed
among the larger wholesalers or coal
to keep up the price. Retailers mere
and elsewhere might be parties to the
price-fixing combine, he added.
Community Storage.
Federal fuel distributor F. r wad-
leigh, Is working on a plan for COM
nunity storage of coal. A committee
has investigated the possibilities of
such storage in Minneapolis, st. Paul,
Chicago and other cities, and it's re-
suits will be made known within
will be made known to the District
Commissioners. and to the committee
headed by Walter c. Allen of the
Public Utilities Commission which is
now working on a plan for coal stor-
age here.
The Federal fuel distributors plans
will be worked out in consonance with
plans for storage drawn up by the
American Federated Engineering So
cieties. Walter c. Allen. executive
secretary of the Public Utilities
Commission, has been made chair
man of the Washington committee to
supervise coal storage heree.
Members of Committee.
Other members of the committee
Public Utilities Commission; ]. w.
Paul. acting chief of the Bureau of
Mines, and Robert L. Lewis. secre-
tary of the Coal Merchants Board Of
Trade. Mr.. Lewis is working with
the other members of the committee
representing the retail dealers in
Washington.
| The committee will make no at
tempt to secure data on possibility of
private storage of coal for the pres
| ent. but may do so in the future. A
| questionnaire is to be sent out at in
dustriai plants. utility plants and
| other large coal consumers in WASH
| ington inquiring as to their coal
| storage facilities. Later individual
consumers may be asked to give the
J committee information as to storage
| Of coal for household use.
| "If we find that John Jones has a
corner in his cellar full of trash which
might be filed with coal, we will urge
him to buy during the summer and
store coal for winter use," said a
member of the committee today.
| To Perfect Organization
| The executive board of the Coal
| Consumers League will meet tonight
at the home of Mrs. c. r. Whitaker,
| 1910 Riggs place. to perfect an or
ganization for combating what II
| claims to be unwarranted high retail
prices for coal in Washington.
! Mr. Post, its president, today point
ed out that high prices for anthra-
| cite are unwarranted, in view of the
prices charged at the mines and the
high production rate maintained
| steadily all summer. He declared it
was untrue that any increase has
taken place in the mine price of coal
that would justify an increase in
price here. ]. Maury Dove. jr., vice
president of the j. Maury. Dove Conn
pany. says prices for anthracite sold
by his company are lower by from
SO cents to 81 than during last win
ter. and that prices on anthracite
charged by dealers now throughout
the city are lower than they were six
months ago.
MI. Post attacked the dealers mar
GIN" which he claimed is far too hlgn
In Washington.