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Show IJ1D CHARGES BBf oews' mm Dealers Declare That They Did Not Agree on Price. BIDS ARE IDENTICAL Firms Declare There Is No Profit .in Supplying ' City Schools. T licit a coal comhiiiO e::ist: amouj; lotal retail dealer?, and tliat iho price of icai is arbitrarily o'.ornod bv the combine, is llie belief of L. P. Juiltl, t. for L of the boanl of education, ox-f ox-f rested yesterday. Mr. .ludd bases his allegation on the fact that Iho thirteen bids submitted to the board of education educa-tion for supplying coa' fr t"G Publie -idioolij during the eoniine School year uiMe identical, lie intimated yesterday t licit the bids were entered in idontical .anuer as a result of the activity of the alleged coal combine seeking to prevent '! competitive bidding: and thus keep ihc priee of coal up. 'We do not intend to buy S000 tons of coal at the regular retail prices quoted us by each of the retailers who entered bids.1' Mr. J mid said. Ho was not prepared to say what steps would be taken to obtain the coal at lesser prices, though he was certain ihat none of the bids received, so far would be accepted. The matter now rests with the board ol education, and will be cousidcred at the regular July mcetincr next Tuesday night. Explains Similarity. "1 am uot at all surprised at the insinuation in-sinuation of Mr. Judd that there is a local coal com bine, " said L. K. Reynolds, Rey-nolds, manager of the Fischer-Kittle . oal company. "When the bids were I opened one of the dealers present told a member of the board that he could make an examination of the firm's booKs in order to ascertain the cost of doing business. That cost is practical!' the same with all the firms in the city, aud hence the bids arc the same. Mr. Judd or anyone else, can examine our books at any time. There is no money in selling slack coal to the board of education at $3.25, the prico quoted, and the profit in lump coal is very small." .7. R. Rudy, manager of the Federal Coal company, said that his concern had submitted to" the- board the lowest possible pos-sible bid. ""We do not get any reduction reduc-tion when -,ve bin iu quantity," ho said, "and hence in selling we have to operate the same way," Say Prices Are Low. ' ' I have studiously avoided personally and have instructed my employees to avoid entering into any sort of a combination com-bination for prico regulation with any coal company, " said ('. S. Martin of the Martin Coal company. "There is a local credit association among coal men to which several of the dealers personally per-sonally belong. The association, however, how-ever, is only for the purpose of obtaining obtain-ing a line on the reliability of consumers. con-sumers. The facts are that coal is being be-ing sold here at rock bottom prices by all the dealers, and the price cannot be made lower without a loss. The same condition applies to all, and henco all quote the same- price." Practically the same statement were made by several other dealers who had Mibmitt'cil bids to the board of education. educa-tion. All were positive in their statements state-ments that there never had been any meeting among the dealers to arrive at; a price for the board of education bid. |