The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-08-13
FUEL-wHAT SHALL BE DONE

up for lumber and wood, and moth
ing planted and growing to close up the
gap. "Some kind OF fuel has always
been an article of prime necessity to
man, at least from the time when he be-
gan to prepare his food by the heat OF
fre, or had learned to prize its comfort
able warmth in the cold Of winter" =
The timber which we now have and,may
will be used for fuel can at best last but
. few years; and even now the prices
at which wood can be bought are bur-
.densome in the extreme. Prices, it
seems to us, are bound to rule higher,
for two reasons: 1st. The sources of
supply are constantly diminishing; and
I'd, the railroads now In process Of con-
struction will require the entire amount
in the market, and at better prices than
has hitherto been paid in our town; or,
we might almost say, than the inhabit-
ants can afford to pay. But fuel is a
necessity and must be had, cost what it
may. Last winter wood sold in our
town as high as SO, S12 and S15 a cord,
and quick sales at that. This, ofcourse,
wasl exceptional, and owing to the con-
ditch of the roads but it proves the
truth of our text, that "some kind of
fuel has always been an article of prime
necessity to man." Else why pay such
prices? We suppose wood cannot be
procured now in our town for less than
S. per cord, perhaps Sc; and often less
than I28 cubic feet at that; but the sell
ers have the drop, and they use it un-
mercifully; they are without fear, but
not without reproach.
AS we have said, prices are bound to
be higher in the future. Demand and
supply has, since commerce was known,
regulated price. Our town, as every
rapidly increasing in population. This,
as sequence, increases largely the de-
mand for fuel. The sources of supply
are constantly decreasing. Put two and
two together and four is the result. A
problem in geometry could not be more
plainly demonstrated. Q. E. D. should
be written after it.
Curses, not only loud, but deep, fol-
low the sellers of wood (our only fuel
at presently for the prices charged; but
can we blame them? Demand and sup
ply regulate price, and if they can as
well geta higher price from the railroad
than in town, why bring it to town?
The prices now paid on the railroad will
not warrant any man in drawing a sim
gle load of wood to the town of Empo-
ria. This extra demand, coupled with
the other increased demand caused by
our rapid increase of population and the
diminished sources of supply, is bound
to largely increase theprice of wood for
fuel.
Wood sells in Topeka and Lawrence
for $500 to $1,000 per cord, and the
same prices, or nearly, will in the future
be obtained here. Our country is not
so well Enthusiastically not better
than the the points we have named,
and the demand will soon be as great as
at either of the above named points,
consequently prices must in the future
be about the same here as there. These
are plain facts, and we must look them
in the face. The vendor of wood has
the right to sell at the highest price he
can get. He can get $500 to $500 per
cord in Emporia as soon as the cool
weather sets in. Now, straw hat and
a shirt is luxuriant costume. Fuel
wouldn't sell for anything. Caloric is at
a discount with the thermometer at
110e in the shade. Prices for wood, as
we think, will rule from $500 to $500
Il nor cord m. parhono auan v,naeo 5ur;,,o,
the coming fall and early winter. Many
of US have hitherto bought our wood
for $500 to $500, but those halcyon
days are all gone.
We look for $500, or possibly $40, as
being the price in our town of wood
for fuel in the future, unless some other
source is developed from which fuel
can be obtained. As we have stated,
"some kind of fuel has always been an
article of prime necessity to man." at
least since he has become civilized. We
must have it at whatever cost. AS we
view 1t, higher prices must prevail for
the fuel necessary for our daily house
hold uses, and it behooves US to look for
the remedy.
There are two ways of obviating the
difficulty: the one remote the other
immediate; or at least may be made of
present benefit. The first is, to plant
and grow trees for timber and fuel. But
this will not help the present necessity.
Years must elapse before any trees now
planted could in the course of nature be
of any use for the purposes mentioned.
But our needs are present, and while we
may not despise what tomorrow may
or can bring forth, we must provide for
to-day's necessities. Trees, however,
must be planted, and many of them for
future use, as for many purposes
wood will still be used, even though
some other material for fuel were abun-
dAnt.
Now for the other remedy. Who can
doubt that our country is underlaid
with vast coal fields which only await
the ingenuity of man to develop them
and to apply them to his uses. Coal OF
q good quality has been found in album
dance on the head waters of the Marais
des Cygnes, in this county, and surface
coal has been found on many Of the lit
tie creeks that put in the Neosho on the
northwest of our town; besides, coal
indications have been found in many
other places in our immediate vicinity.
1t is true the coal found in the last
mentioned places is not of so good q
quality for some purposes, particularly
for smithing, as that on the Marais des
Cygnes; but for most uses it would an
swer very wcll-for heating, or where