Evening star., 1926-01-29


which he subtractS all unloading,
hauling, preparing, overhead and de-
livery expenses before taking his
profit.
Ethelbert Stewart, chief of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, was then
called to the stand. He submitted
kfigures showing advances in coal
prices in 19 cities since 1914, as fol-
lows: Baltimore, an advance Of 9O.9
per cent. Boston, 1872 per cent; Buff
falo. 1l7.9 per cent: Chicago, 65.S per
cent: Cleveland 1888 per cent: De
troit, 10l.l per cent; Jacksonville
Fla, ST. per cent: Houston. Tex.
AZ per cent: Los Angeles. 3i.3 per
cent; Mobile, s9.l per cent; New York,
1868 per cent: Norfolk. 1919 per cent:
Philadelphia. 1905 per cent: Portland,
Me, 1908 per cent; Portland. Greg. 60
per cent: San Francisco, sos per cent:
Savannah. Ga. 62.9 per cent: Seattle,
5S1 per cent, and Washington. 4S.7
per cent. Mr.. Stewart explained that
Los Angeles low increase was due 10
the fact that the California city burns
considera bile wood
Senator Eeely then called upon a
representative of the operators from
the kanaWha bituminous coal fields
Who explained at some length the
virtue of fuel from his section and
prices. Little of this fuel now
reaches Washington. Charles Sci
den. jr. an operator from Pennsyl-
vania maintaining n residence in
Washington, then requested permlS
sion to be heard and was granted the
permission. He declared the opera
tors in the last two years had been
running their mines at loss, in
Guiding himself.
Prices Held Outrageous"
Mr.. Selden. making an eXtempo
raneouS statement. declared coal
prices in Washington were high be-
cause equally good coal which has
never been given so much propa-
ganda as Pocohontas and New River
smokeless Goals cannot get into this
market. lie declared he thought
the prices OF coal and coke in Wash
ington We're Outrageous" but under
questioning admitted he believed the
wholesale price Of coal and coke to
be too high.
Don't forget. however" he added.
that up to the present time we opera
tors have been running a a loss. And
the coke man, who now gets $3.50 a
ton for his coke at the ovens. once
found difficulty selling his product at
ALL"
Mr.. Selden, however. placed the bur
den for existing prices on the public.
which he said demanded expensive
prepared sizes. whereas mine run coal
would serve the same purpose. He de-
ciared that the PocohontaS and New
River Goals coming to Washington do
not have the units of heat in them
that other Goals have for less money.
He admitted that mine run coal is
dirtier and harder to handle.
Held Wonderful Myth"
Mr.. Selden termed the idea that con
sumers can save money by purchasing
direct from the mines "a Wanderful
myth" He cited an instance where d
citizen paid 1925 a ton at the mine
for his coal. Freight cost him S2.S4
and haulage to his home $1.50. All
told his expenses amounted to about
$50 for coal that could have been
purchas sed from the retailers at 81.
Mr.. Selden and Mr.. Griffith completed
the DAYS hearing with an argument
as to the merits of retailers raising
and lowering their prices as prices at
the mines f1uctuate, each making
broad statements not supported by
statistics, which the committee has
always carefully demanded.
When the nearing was cOnCluueu
retailers declared the question of
whether or not there is protiteering
in Washington will never be settled
until the committee insists that the
investigation confine itself. for the
present, at least. to Washington
prices and the kind of coal Wash
ington is getting.
Would Employ Auditors.
Senator Glass of Virginia has in
sisted. throughout. that the merits OF
distant Goals have no bearing on
protiteering in Washington. adding.
1.-The thing for us to do is employ
some auditors to look over the books
of these retail men and determine
once and for all if they have
profiteered."
On Wednesday a note was passed
around to newspaper men announcing
that Senator NJ. NJ. Neely Of West
Virginia would present every re-
porter signing his name to the docu-
ment with a ton of Fairmount high
volatile bituminous coal. The Sena-
tor, this paper declared. was sending
whole carload of this fuel, which
it had been testified at the hearing
! was too smoky for use in Washington.
to the National Capital for distribu-
ton among newspaper men. The only
, cost to those signing the papers would
be the cost of hauling the ton from
the car to their homes.