The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1924-02-01
California Coal Dealers
Combine to Gouge Public
Says U. S. Trade Board

BY International Labor News Service
Washington, D. C-That Califor-
MIA coal dealers, many of whom are
bitterly anti-union, have combined to
gouge the people of their state, is
charged by the federal trade commits
sion in complaint against the Cal
ifornia Retail Fuel Dealers Asso-
citation
The charges made by the federal
trade commission indicate that while
the coal dealers have been joining IN
the cry of California's labor haters
that organized labor is monopoly,
they have been busy in getting a
state by unfair and unlawful meth
DDS. The commission says that the
dealers association has obstructed
and hindered competition in the dis
tribution and sale of coal and that
consumers have been deprived of the
advantages in price which they would
have obtained from the natural flow
of commerce in coal under conditions
of free competition.
The California Retail Fuel Dealers
Association is an association of
wholesale and retail dealers in coal
located throughout the state of Cali
fornia. In addition to this state as
sociation the complaint is directed to
a number of local associations, whole
salers and individual retailers, all
members of the state association. The
members of the associations number
in the aggregate more than five hun
dred.
Fixed Uniform Prices
Specifically the complaint charges
that uniform prices on coal were fix
ed by these dealers and associations
in cooperation one with another; that
the distribution of coal through chan
nels other than those determined up
on by the association was prevented;
and that cooperative purchasing as
sociations were prevented from OBJ
tanning coal at wholesale under any
conditions and hence the sale and
transportation of coal in interstate
commerce was obstructed.
In about the year 1920, the COM
plant charges, the respondents agreed
and undertook to cooperate with
each other in suppressing competition
in the sale of coal at retail in the
state of California; in fixing uniform
prices at which coal should De sold
at retail in said state; in preventing
the distribution of coal to consumers
in the state of California by any
other means or through any other
channel than that beginning with the
producer, and flowing through the
wholesaler to the retail dealer quail
! fed as such under the definition
adopted by respondent; and from
| Sucn retainer 10 CLc Q1tlIiidIS' SOiiS oiii
er, such channels being considered
the regular or legitimate channel; and
to prevent cooperative purchasing as
sociations and so-called irregular or
/ illegitimate retail dealers from OBJ
tanning coal at wholesale.
Since entering the agreement re-
ferred to, to carry out the mutual pur-
poses described, these respondents, the
complaint recites, have co-operated
together and with each other in the
following acts and practices:
Dealers Must Obey Rules
! {a) The members of each local as.
sociation agreed upon and fixed prices
I at which coal should uniformly bt
sold at retail by them, and thereafter
abided by and observed and nov
abide by and observe said prices, ths
same being from time to time reviset