Show i i DENY T TO FOX fiX r PRICES I i Senate Committee Told Told Such Sucha a Conspiracy Would Be Impossible By Associated Press WASHINGTON Aug 26 26 Denying that a combination among bituminous coal operators to fix prices exists J.D. J.D. J.D. J. J D. D A A. Morrow vice president of the National Coal association told a senate senate senate sen sen- ate coal investigating committee today that such a combination would be Impossible impossible impossible im Im- possible if attempted Prices at the mines he said have declined under the competition which prevails and are lower than they were a year ago There are about separate commercial commercial commercial com com- mercial producers operating approximately approximately approximately mines from which bituminous bituminous bituminous coal is regularly shipped Mr Morrow said In addition there are some two thousand operators with about mines who begin producing a and and d selling coal whenever the th price goes up a little and offers a a. profit p to them Moreover there are of thousands of acres of coal lands along railroads on which new mines can be readily and quickly opened by any anyone one so disposed Such a condition obviously does' does not lend itself to re restrictive restrictive restrictive re- re combinations among pro pro- Of Of the separate bituminous coal producers in the United States approximately approximately approximately ap ap- proximately 45 per cent hold membership membership membership member member- ship in the National Coal association They produce about 60 per cent of the total output of bituminous coal in the country The National Coal association represents represents represents rep rep- resents these operators and looks after their interests in matters of general concern such as transportation and traffic questions standardization of cost accounting cooperation with governmental governmental governmental gov gov- agencies and similar ties There is nothing secret about its business Its files flies and records are open to the committee or any other duly authorized agency of the government government government govern govern- ment at any time Mr Morrow said bituminous coal prices had declined since the armistice and In general genera were lower than the prices fixed by the fuel tuel administration |