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Show I N'ADOO ASSAILS " I COAL OPERATORS Again Challenges Them to Produce Their Income Tax Returns. ANSWERS TELEGRAM Figures Used as Convenient Smoke Screens to Obscure Ob-scure the Facts. H nl:vy york, Nov. 26. Bituminous loal operators were accused of oh sewing tho issue and again challenged Lo produce their Income tax returns by William G McAdoo. former secretary ot the Ireaaury, in R formal answer to their telegram criticising his earlier BiAtemeni that they made "shocking ajjd Indeft nsible profits In 1W7" and m. should not bo allowed to Increase prices of coal. mmWr "The statement in your telegram." W' said Ins reply, addressed to the oper- mm ators' committee at Washington and H 1 made publir here, "that the average mm, margin per ton of all coal mined in mm 1918 was 4G cents has no btarinc; upon Hj, this issue These averages are fre- mWl quently used as convenient rmoke mmW BOreens to obscure the faci?. The H question is what were the profits on m' the capital employed by the mine own- mmM rrs regardless of the average profit mWi that may have been earned on each mmw ton of coal. L1 'Whatever the margin per ton was. mmW if it resulted in excessive profits on H t he capital employed then clearly the public should not he made ;o pay mmW higher prices for coal and the mine mmmY owners should absorb the wage iu- K. crease to the men There need be no mmw controversy about the matter because K, the income tax returns speak for mmW themselves "If the coal operators arc permitted mm- to increase th : price of coal v. liich mm would mean taking toll from every mmWb, factory, every industry, every business f and from every domestic fireside in mmmj'' merica. it should be clearly demon- j Btrated that the increase is justified mmmf "Under th- law. the secretary of the mw treasury may publish these returns mmm I with the president's permission and I mmw ' hope for the sake of the American public that such publication will be H l made. 1 am comlneed that the In-B!,l In-B!,l creased wages proposed by Secretary mmmf Wilson for the mine workers are just K. and reasonable because they equalize Kij the miners' wages with the present in Hi creased cost of living as shown by H Secretar Wilson's figures. mmW , "I ignore the offensive tone of your I telegram because n ithcr per mm ties, nor questioning of motive, should mmi be permitted to obscure the issue. I I am not surprised, morftner I rou mmW, think it bad taste for me as a private Hii citizen to express ni opinicn upon an important question concerning !h gen mW t oral public but even a private cltlaen has as much right as mine ownr- to ! xpress his opinions in free Amt rk Th long suffering public has B righ to be heard and consid.-red.' |