Show l ra b The Price of 0 o Coal I Is is announcing a n suspension of the maximum prices on soft coal conI and coke tho the United States fuel n administration tion c expects reduction a re in tho trio price of fuel uel Tho The prediction prediction prediction tion is hardly in sympathy y with rith tho past activity of or this branch of the military arm of our government go Notwithstanding Notwithstanding ith standing the fact that the prime primo duty dut of fuel administration administration admin admin- was to obtain an nn oven even distribution of tho American American American Amer Amer- ican coal conI supply price fixing was adopted as a n means of keeping the price of fuel within the tho range of the public purse Tho The suspension of hostilities no doubt has bas affected the demand deman for fuel but hardly to the point indicated by b the fuel fu l administration If tho the removal of govern govern- government ment mant restrictions on coal conI is to result in a L general decline in the tho price it becomes apparent that the pu public lic has bas paid paW heavy Y toll as a a. result of this policy Perhaps no other clement element in tho cost of living living places a n greater burden cn on the public than the tho high pried pried of coal A decline is to tobe tobo bo he wished for Jor and to that end tho public will hope hopu that the predictions ions of the fuel administration ere arc well ell founded On the tle other oilier hand lInn it would seem that tb tIle the public can hope for no immediate readjustment of prices ices unless it develops that the fuel n administration has been the chief con contributor to rising prices price As yet yel the cost of production production tion has not been affected by In the end of the Will war The fuel administration was designed c largely to prohibit If Tf there has been no no p profiteering then the tho public has no grounds s to hope for a n decline until the cost of oL production has bas also declined Tho The prom promise o of tho fuel administration is more moro or less an nn indic indictment vf of it itself or ir c else lac e it is ill founded h- h |