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Show COMBINE FIXING PIES Vice President of Association Asso-ciation Denies Trust Holds Up Rates. WASHINGTON, Aug. 26. Denying that a combination among bituminous coal operations to fix prices exists. J. 1 1. A. Morrow, vice president of the Na-tional Na-tional Coal association, told a senats coal Investigating committee today that such a combination would be im possible if attempted. Prices at the mines, he -aid. have declined under the competition which prevails and are lower than they were a year ago. "There are about 5000 separate com merclal producers operating approxi mately 7000 mines, from which bilumi nous coal is regularly shipped," Mr. Morrow said "In addition there are some two thousand operators wjth about three thousand mines who begin be-gin producing and selling coal whenever when-ever the price goes, up a little and offers of-fers 8 profit to them. Moreover, there .'ire hundreds of thousands of acres of coal lands alonp railroad on which new IIIHl'.t 1,111 L- IfdUll) (1UU .JUH.IVI UJIfU' ed by any one so disposed. Such a condition obviously does not lend tseli to restriclhc combinations among producers. pro-ducers. "Of the 5000 separate bituminous coal producers in the United States, approximately ap-proximately 1". per cent hold member i-hip in the National Coal association They produce about 60 per cent of the total output of bituminous coal in the country. "The National Coal association represents rep-resents these operators and looks m ft r I their interest in matters of general i concern, such as transportation and. traffic questions, standardization of cost accountinp, co-operation with governmental gov-ernmental agencies and similar activities. activit-ies. There is nothing secret about its business. Its filed and records are open to the committee or any duly au thorlzed agency of the government at any time." Mr. Morrow said bituminous coal prices had declined since the armistice and in general were lower than the prices fixed by the fuela administra tion. oo |