Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 244, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1920 — COAL MEN MUST OBEY LAW [ARTICLE]

COAL MEN MUST OBEY LAW

THE COMMISSION TO TAKE DRASTIC ACTION

Jesse E. Eschbach, chairman of the special Fuel and Feed Commission, announces that he will bring criminal prosecution against any person guilty of violation of the coal prices fixed by the Indiana commission working under the law passed by the last special session of the legislature, • —— If coal retailers and mine operators will not co-operate to provide coal to any community, under price and margin fixed orders issued by the state coal and food commission, thecommission, according to Governor Goodrich, has ample authority to and undoubtedly would recognize any distributing agency that maty be organized for the community, and the commission can require the mines to provide coal for that agency. Both the. Governor and Jesse E. Eschbach, chairman of the commission,

said that a municipality or such similar organization, or even private groups, might so organize, and that if the local retailers failed to distribute coal in accordance with the orders issued, the commission would bend every effort to meet the demands of the agencies. Eschbach Cite* One CaseWhen Mr. Eschbach’s attention was called to declarations by Indianapolis retail coal dealers that they can not operate under the $2.25 a ton margin permitted by the recent order, he said: “One of the largest retail coal dealers in Indianapolis, according to figures we have obtained, distributed 151,000 tons of coal in the seven months this year, to July 31, and, according to its own cost sheets, paid more than $99,000 for administration, which included its salaries, and even with that enonnous item figured in, the company handled the coal for $1.76 a ton. Our margin of $2.25 would admit of a profit of 49 cents* a ton to that retailer above all his expenses and above his great administration account. I do not see why there should be complaint from such a dealer.” Another Case. Mr. Eschbach then gave the figures for one of the smallest retail companies in Indianapolis. He said: “There is a little company here and its expense a ton of coal distributed is high. The company distributed 641 tons of coal in the seven months ending July 31, and its total cost was only 2.14 a ton.” Governou Goodrich directed attention to the fact that many of the retailers and mihes came into existence during the war under the big margins permitted to encourage maximum production. Now that times are becoming more normal, he said, it is not to be expected that such companies can get along as well. However, both the Governor and the chairman of the commission declared that the commission will hear every eomplaintant who will come to the commission with his true cost sheets and show' that he can not operate under the prices or margins fixed by the body. The chairman said, and he was seconded by the Governor, that exceptions will 'be made in such instances. Desire Only Co-operation. “We want only co-operation from, the coal people,” Mr. Eschbach said. “We do not want to spend . our time fighting, but we want to , get coal for the people. Our orders are fair, but if they work hardships in individual cases, we will make exceptions.” “Last Saturday,” Mr. Esehbach said, “twenty-five ears of coal were promised to us by the mine operators. I sent some of our men out to get the Indianapolis dealers to take them. Dealer after dealer told them that they would have plenty of coal by the first of the week and we had difficulty in getting that coal off our hands to the retailers right here in Indianapolis. Finally we sent seven cars out of the city and got the rest off our hands here. “In spite of this statement last Saturday, a man who said hehas two children in his family called me last night end told me he had called dealer after dealer and that they had told him they had no coal they could get him. It is things lice that that breed Socialism and trouble. i “At the very first flagrant violation of the coal commission act we will begin prosecution,” Mr. Eschbach has announced. The commission received • complaint late Thursday in which it wm

alleged that the Central Indiana Coal Company, after coal prices were fixed, cancelled an agreement to ship two cars of coal to Bloomington and sent the coal out of the state. Exercise of Authority. It is not believed that the act was a violation of the law or any order the commission has issued. It has been pointed out, however, by state officials that if the practice becomes widespread the commission will exercise its authority to require the production of coal sufficient to meet Indiana’s domestic needs. The law authorizes the commission to do this.