Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-08-01 | Page 7 | High Coal Price Blame Shifted

HIGH GDI PRICE BLAME SHIFTED' Operators Say Exorbitant Costs Are Brought About I By Speculators Washington, July it. p.iame for exorbitant -o.il prices was placed on speculators, i na statement today , by th National Coal association Federal Fed-eral trade commission figures ;lvis the average sales prices at the bitum-, Inous mines during April as $3.2fi, It' atd, "indicate the slender average of profit per ton realized l y the Indus-1 try." Mine cost was placed at $2 76 per Ion by the commission. th statement pointed out .adding that the fifty cents margin between The cost and selling price was not net profit, for from It mu9t be deducted interest on borrowed capital and other expenses. "The blame for exorbitant prices1 lies in the activity of speculators." declared de-clared the statement which added that1 car shortage "paved the way for the, play of speculative prices." Recon-slgnment Recon-slgnment of cars "for which the rall-i roads, sometimes resulting In a "high- j or price to be lacked on" two or three i times. With the priority orders of the interstate in-terstate commerce commission "stim-i ulatlng the movement of CO'al to the, great lakes and to Xew Lnglund" con-1 eluded the statement. 'The bituminous bitumin-ous coal operators believe that the coal Shortage crisis soon will be straightened out. ' i