Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-01-27
The Coal Probe
Continued from Page One)

| Rounds read into the records the
| following telegram from ,Kandall and
/ McAllister:
| I'VE are sending copies of tele-
grams to Governor Baxter. will you
| not see that we have justice from the
| Legislature.
Governor Baxter, Augusta, Me.
| I'm the morning press it appears
| that your fuel director Lane, stated
that the firm had interferred a great
| deal with the fuel administration.
| Will YOU not inform us Immediately
how this firm or any representative
| thereof has in any way, shape or
manner. attempted to interfere with
| your fuel director. AS far as we
know it is absolutely false and seem
| ingly malicious. We think in justice
this is due u.s."
| "RANDALL AND MCALLISTER"
Randall and McAllster have
never put up bag of coal of eighteen
pounds at rate of $2S to $50 ton"
| said Mr. Rounds. ''They did buy
| some Scotch coal when they were
unable to get anything else and sold
it at a rate of $50 pounds for 50, but
| they only got fair profit from it,
| Mr.. Rounds voice broke as he told
| of an instance where the Portland
! firm had befriended a friend of his
''Mho through the influence of poll
! ticianS was thrown out of a job when
| he had a broken leg and a son dying
| with consumption and could get no
| coal"
| Il went to a man connected with
! the firm and asked if this man could
. have some coal" he continued.
! when I got home I found. that he
| had coal there-nice chestnut coal
| for only $3.50 a ton, with four per
cent off for cash and fifty cents for
| Juggling in.
"Agitation for a commission form
| of government" was said by Mr.
| Rounds to have compelled the com
| missioner of public works to use all
| the teams in the city for snow re-
moval. so that they were not avail
| able for hauling coal, cccpt at a rate
! of SIS a day for double teams.
| which made it necessary to charge
F, a higher price for coal.
The firm had been offered 5000
tons of Welsh anthracite" Mr.
Rounds continued. "Now this coal
( is thirty per cent dust and the dust
! has to be sold as bituminous coal at
| $40 ton. which requires the charg-
| ing of a higher price for the remain
! ing anthracite.
! II repeat what I have said at a
| caucus previously that when a YES
! sci is sent out for coal the dealers
! have to pay an cXhorbitant price
| for spot coal and are required to
deal with several brokers'" said Mr..
> Rounds.
The firm Of Randall and McAlIs-
/ ter has done business for sixty years
| in Portland and is one of the most
| reputable firms anywhere" he con-
| tinucd. "The story has gone out
that they have sold coal for $40 a
Con in eighteen pound bags. this
has never been done by them in all
the time that they have been doing
| business"
! Mr. Rounds paid a tribute TO
| Oakley c. Curtis, saving. "Politically
| l have fought one of the members
| of the firm right along but in busi-
| ness L will take off my hat to him
| as one of the best and squarcst men
l ever dealt with"
IF it hadn's been for a newspaper
| making all the trouble about hauling
off the snow and if people had put
| in their coal earlier there would have
| been no trouble in Portland" Mr..
| Rounds insisted.
He then moved that the resolve be
Ecld up for further consideration on
Tuesday.
Representative Cummings OF Port
land Joined issues with Mr. Rounds
at once.
T hope that the motion of Mr..
| Rounds will not prevail, I do not
think that any controversy between
the fuel administration and Randall
| and McAllister should in any way
| influence us in our action upon this
! resolve" said he. Il have seen
nothing in the papers or is anything
in the records giving the inference
| that Randall and McAllister sold any
Of this bag lot coal"
Representative Granville of Par
sonsfield. House floor leader of the