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Show RETAIL PRICE OF COALJS FIXED Wyoming Coal Mines Are Allowed Al-lowed to Charge $2.50 a Ton at the Mine. WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 Government Govern-ment control over the coal industry was made complete last night by an order of Fuel Administrator Garfield limiting the profits of retail coal and coke dealers throughout tho country to a 'basis which is expected 10 bring about an immediate reduction in prices to the consumer. The order, effective today, directs that the retailers shall fix their prices so as to limit their gross margins over cost to the average of such gross margins mar-gins during the year 1915, plus a maximum max-imum of thirty per cent of the 1915 margin, provided that In no case shall tho average margin of tho month of July, this year, be exceeded. The committees appointed b5' the federal fuel administrators in each state will see to it that the dealers comply with the order and the dealers j themselves will be called upon to return re-turn sworn costs sheets showing the facts upon which they have based their prices. Dr. Garfield selected 1915 as a normal nor-mal year because the coal shortage, which resulted in continued rises In prices, did not begin until 1916. The additional thirty per cent is allowed to cover the increase in the retailers cost of doing business, which has increased substantially during the past two years. Prices already fixed by the government gov-ernment for r.oal at the mouth of tho mine are near those charged in 1915, and with the jobbers charge now limited lim-ited to twenty-five cents a ton and the cost of transportation not materially Increased, the consumer, in every community, com-munity, should be able to get coal of any description at approximately the price he paid in .1915. In other orders tonight the fuel administrator ad-ministrator made the first revisions of his recently fixed prices of coal at the mine. One makes changes on anthracite anthra-cite pea coal in the Pennsylvania field. Another order revises upward the mine prices in certain bituminous districts dis-tricts in which unusual conditions exist and the main cost of production is greater than in the other bituminous fields. The new price for run-of-the-mine coal in some of those districts follow; Pierce and King counties, Washington, Washing-ton, $3.25; LaFayette, Ray, Clay, Platte and Linn counties. Missouri, $3.15; Appanoose, Ap-panoose, Wayne, Boone nnd Webster counties. Iowa, $3.15; bituminous domestic do-mestic coal In Walsenbcrg, Canon City, Routt, Garfield, Gunnison, Durango, Mesa, Pitkin. Montezuma, Delta, Montrose Mont-rose and Rio Blanca districts, Colorado, Colo-rado, $3; bituminous steam coal in Trinidad dictrict, Colorado, $2.75; lignite lig-nite coal in the northern field and El Paso dictrict, Colorado, $2.45; Osage county. Kansas, $2.55; state of Wyoming, Wyom-ing, $2.50. The increases allowed are to meet figures presented by mine owners, in many case3, showing that the prices previously fixed wouldn't allow a margin mar-gin of profit above the cost of production. produc-tion. An additional twenty to forty-five forty-five cents a ton has been allowed in most cases including tho Alabama field, where mine owners protested that the government's prices would drive them out of business. Last night's orders also provide that Smithing and Cannel coal may be sold at prevailing market prices until further fur-ther notice. |