The evening world., 1888-01-04
WORDS FROM THE PEOPLE.
LITTLE OR NO MONEY IN COAL FOR RETAIL
MERCHANTS.

Nearly Double the Amount Of Coal Would
be Used on the East and West sides.
When the weather prophet, away mp in the
the Equitable Building, decided TO give New
York a little warmer weather, there was no
class of people more pleased with his de.
cision than the poor residents along the east
and west sides.
To them the sharp, biting cold meant some
thing more than red faces and frost-tipped
ears and noses. There were nc visions Of n
moonlight night upon the ice, no anticipn-
tions Of days of pleasure which Jack Frost
alone is in power to furnish. Instead, the
cold and frost and wind meant bodily suffer
ing. for in their hum le dwellings there were
but few of even the nccessaries OF life.
For them co'd weather and the advance in
coal meant actual suffering. Warm weather,
in turn, meant a relief from the miscries of
the past few days; n relief. slight ms it was
apparently, being most acceptable, never
theless.
A World reporters third tour among the
poorer tsnements showed thai as yet. how
ever. the much sought-fOr relief had not
arrived. Although the weather has been
III lder, II was slil necessary to burn fu~l IN
order to sustain bodily warmth and conl,
the chief fac or. is still so high that Little
pleasure can be obtained from IT,.
While the price of coal was lower there
was more consumed and more enjoyment
gained from 1t. As il is, the prizes are so
NIGH that only the smallest qunntit es can he
purchased and at not frequent intervals ut
TINT.
Frederick Koenigs. n grocer at a66 Second
avenue. exp 'nins IN some measure the dis
comforts felt by his customers. He draws
an excellent picture of the Few patrons who
cone to him for coal, poverty IN many cases
stamped on their faces and their garments.
| To these people 10 cents for n pail of coal
means more than n dol ar spent in dissipation
by those who have the necessities, the com
forts Of life, and who arc looking for the
luXnrics.
lie keeps coal MS n matter of course. He
docs not expect to make money o. these
sal $, and, indeed. he doest not. His Gus
toners. however, expect 1t. and he sells for
their Rccommoda ion. If the price was
lowe" he would sell more, his patrons would
be benefited, he would have an opportunity
to remuncrate himself, and there would be
good feeling where there is now misery.
Johannsen Bros. of $40 Second avenue, SOW
TINT when coal il Mt Sc II ton their customers
cannot atlori to buy large quantities. If the
price WAS down to "a the poor could supply
themselves abundantly, and there would he
proht for the dealer, but hardly ut q higher
price.
There is little indication. they say, that the
market viii 60 any lower than 1t is. With
the difficulties IN the mining region and the
threatened strike, there are sufficient indica-
tiuns which point to high prices, which mean
among the poor increased suffering.
Adolph G. II. Rathley. of 1872 Second ave
nuc, SAID Last year | sold three or four
tons of coal a week. Now, with the present
haps a little mole. The price is raised on us
by the ton, but we can't advance 1T on our
customers. The advance now Is from five
cents to eight cents n hushel.
Figure thirty bushels to q ton there is Mt
least 81. so increase which is practically dead
"Our 'rade is hurt by the peddlcr. Ten
ants buy of him i'll the belief that they re-
ccive full measure and good quality at n
lower price than when tie bny of us. 1t is
n mistake. While the peddler may give the
same quantity 1t will be of poorer quality or
the reversr.
Last year | was willing to pay any price
for coal. 1t seems that the conl barons. in
the face of their losses of last year. want to
square themselves. and so they put up prices
in careless indifference to the cons quences
among the unfortunate people of the coun-
try"
Charles G. Sievrcs, of "a Second avenue,
says that when coal is cheap he sells more
than when it is high, and lie accounts for II
from the fact that his pa rous, when the mnr.
ket il low, are able to spend more money for
this necessity. The hlgh ma ket not only
causes q oss Of profit TO him, but causes ,uf.
ferings among the poor residents about him.
lie thinks that If cuul was about 81 or So 90
n ton the price W uld e about right. Then
tie p or mus pny all I e expenses attendant
on he advances. They cannot afford 10 buy
n I IL. SO they buy n paul. Ihev have to pay,
buying in this II amer, nmost rs much again
as tn,y would were ther purchases larger.
II i INF rtUnlte that Just at this time, lie
says, TIKI market and weather both are aga INST
the poor, but he hopes 20 see n lower market
before long.
Henry Gehrkcn, of 600 Second avenue, says
that there is little difference between his
trade now and when prices were lower.
There is less profit, however because he has
not advanced the price on small sales.
Customers complain he says, when.
ever the price of an article is rails. d. On Goa
the price all winter las been rising all the
time. We were forced at first to increase
our prices TO cover costs. but we have de,
cIded now to maintain the same charges, in
Difference to customers.
You soc, it's n money-'osing way of doing
business, but one must APP ~reciate tie l eed'
of the poorer | c 'plc, who are obi. gel to have
such art c. es to 1--we, but who are frequently
forbidden them. You might say indeed
that in the matter of coal. we keep it tor &c
cummodation only. We get the good will OF
our patrons by SO doing, but that's ABOUT all.