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Show HOOVER DOUBTS FORD'S WISDOM Says Higher Priced Coal Increases Cost Only of $1.50 Per Car WASHINGTON", Aug. 30. Present coal prleon WOdld only add $1-60 to the price of Ford rare. Secretary Hoover declared In expressing the hope that the Detroit automobile manufacturer manufac-turer would not find IL jieceoeary to c lose his plants because of the price of fuel. Mr. HoOVer said that he noted that Mr Kurd considered l-iCO a ton reasonable price for coal, and that Mr. Ford could obtain it now at $6 50 Figuring on the basis of I,i00 tons of coal USOd a day Mr Hoover estimated that even under present prices the Increase pr Ford car would only be about $1.60. Legislation now pending. Mr Hoover Hoov-er lidded prohablv w.nild provide price control machinery that could go into operation within a few days of September i. the date set by Mr. Ford for shutting down his plants FORI) CRCOEfl HOOVI.lt rETROIT. Aug. SO. The statement r,r Secret ry Hoover that present coal prices would add but $1 r0 to tho price of Ford c:irs was characterized at the Ford offices here today as "a trivial and playful statement for the head of r government department to make In a situation as serious as the present one." "It Is qultt In keeping with everything every-thing that has been going on at Washington Wash-ington In the present situation"' It was added Does Mr. Hoover think we should turn oer to the profiteers from $7 -000. 000 to $10,000,000 that would be represented in he Increased cost of coal," was asked. The normal dally consumption of coal by the Ford plnnta here ranges from 3,800 to 4,600 tons a day. RAIL STRIKE HUMOR. Reiteration thot Ford was not "bluffing" in his decision to shut down his big automobile plants here on September 16. a part of a fight, against what lie terms a holdup' on the part of coal brokers, and denial ot various reports that causes other than the fuel ehortage were responsible respon-sible for his action, were maJf Tuesday Tues-day at the Detroit, manufacturer offices. of-fices. A report from Louisville that when the 75.000 Ford workers In the Detroit De-troit district were released on September Septem-ber 16. Mr. Ford would advise them to take employment with the railroads In nn efTort to break the rail strike, wn.i denied emphatically. The stato-menl stato-menl was termed ridiculous. "There may be Individual eafles of Ford workers anticipating the 1h k of employment ranking application for work with th5 railroads." It wn stated, stat-ed, "but Mr Ford certainly Is not going go-ing to advice the men to attempt to break the rail strike." PTFNTY OF ORDERS. Another report that met emphatic denliil was that lack or business fig-ured fig-ured in the decision to close the plants j Figures were cited to refute It. "When, the decision to close the, plants was reached.' it was stated, "we were fous weeks behind in orders I for Ford cars and threo weeks be-' hind in orders for Lincoln cars We had only Just caught up on orders for tractors' The decision to suspend operations came, it was reiterated sj a time when the Ford company was doing the greatest business in its history his-tory Production figures showed 5. 100 rnri helnc turned out rlntlv ap-nlnot orders for &.200 a day. it was pointed out. |