The morning times., 1896-09-13
POOR FOLKS MAY FREEZE
Price of Coal Is Going Stead
lily Up.
TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A TON
Dealers Say They Do Not Know the
Cause, But 1t Can He Found-Rise
Began In Midsummer and VIII
Probably Go Higher Before Cold
Weather Begins.

| Coal has advanced from 81 20 to 81 70
| Oh TIE ton above the retail prices Of tins
| tline last year The last advance was
the first Of the mouth, when II went
| up twenty-five cents. The present retail
| prices are as follows: For anthracite
| coal: stove, So 20; broken or fLInace,
s6.Oo;egg, S5-T5. In the tide water cities,
| New York and Philadelphia tie Irlce is
SUI higher and the people there are wCn-
! uefiig II Their salaiies are Goif Z TO he
| idTGe enough 10 even keep the ooal bins
| iuI!, 10 say nothing Of the lart!er aud antry.
Nobody seems 10 know what has caused
| the advance. The retail dealers plead
ignorance and say that the VINO ,.sale
| men are the ones To consult. The whole
| sale Incn IN turn prOfess entire ignorance
| as to the business or The mine operators.
| Inc mine operators say that the advance
| II Il natural one-thc demand being larger
| than heretofore Yet the fact sill rem aIns
/ that when the last advance of p cents
a ton occurred the first OF this H. onth the
| heads OF the big anthracite concerns held
meeting in New York and the price went
| up linn edately afIerward. But then
| the consumers must not infer from this
4 that there Is a coal Combine behind IL all
| ON, no; that meeting was J;st friendly
chat among the Presidents md their repre-
sentativcs; Just promoter OF hearty good
| fello owship
| The prIce has gone skywaTd. whatever
| may have been the cause. There is no
dodging the truth of the statement.
y Times reporter went the rounds of the
| coal nIen yesterday. The retail meu would
say no more than that the price had
| advanced. The last advance was the LIST
| al September, 20 cents. The one previous
| WIS IN August, 20 cents. July had also
| seen like advance Before then the
| pIi'e had gone up steadily "A few cents
at a time No; they didn't know what
caused the advance; perhaps the wholesale
| dealers would know
II the wholesale dealers knew they kept
| IL To themselves. one dealer did essay
| an exploration. Last year according to
| this gentl enan's Ia tcment, the mine
operators produced something like 45-
900. 900 tons OF anthracite coal The
supply was greater than the demand, and
as a consequence, the price fell below nor
mai and the consumers got their coal at
prices rGinous to the operators. This year
these last-nanIed gentlemen decided to
prevent a repetition OF last years over
production. in order to protect their own
int erests- Consequently. not such an
cnorn,ous quantity being dug, and the
prices are but coming to their normal
again.
on THE OTHER FOOT.
The consumers did not kick last year
when they were getting their coal at a
bargain, as it were" said the sam gen
tlenian. The sale wds forced and he
consumer revelled in reduction Of prices.
Bat that was ali right then: Onlythe opera
tors were suffering. Now the price has
assumed Its normal. and what lOwl the
consumers are raisinc, because they can't
get their coal gain this year On the sheriff
sale plan"
or cunrse the consumers have thcfr ideas
of the cause OF the raise. In nearly every
case the consumer was confident that u
Combine. and that a strong one at that.
ltS s.n1 l. a ne no T4rif
To the highest safe DOtCh. The action Is
eTnphatICduy denounced.
BIt what can tn. CUDSIna DO He must
buy his coal. If he buys at all. from the
alleged combine, for all the lig Cual oper-
atur> are SAID to be interested IN it. They
,,,htroi the entire output. practically. There
is no redress We've Just got to grin
and bear II the best we may. that's an
the remark OF the secretary OF the
Washington GasIIglt Co upany, Mr.. John
LecCh. And that l. the view most gen.
orally taken, although II Is often adorned
with words which wouldn't sound well Ia
print
EFFECT OF THE ADVANCE.
Sad Mr. Leech We made our coal
contracts last July, at price 20 per cent
higher per ton than last year. Ii we were
20 make any contracts today the percent.
age would be considerably higher. Yet
when YOU take into consideration that we
use 10000 tons OF one kind OF coal alone
in the manufacture OF our water gas you
can bt gin to realize what the a ivanCe
means to US. Then, to-, with the rlss
IN price of Coll has come Il reduction in the.
price OF gas The rise means AN extra
expenditure OF thousands OF dollars To
the big consulncrs and the rub hurts when
we realize that we've Just got to grin and
bear it,
Perhaps the man who feels the rise most
Is he small consumer, who does not get
even the benefit of contract discount.
He is the laboring man. He cannot afford
10 buy his coal in large qua ntitieS. he must
get il a ton at Il time. He must have the
coal IL his family is to be protected from
the winters cold and sickness. III yuu
want II. you must pay the price" is the
response to his rcmonstrance against the
rise So pay the price he does, and he
is hus compelled to cut down expenses, al
re;dy necessary, else where, for his wages
have not risen with the riSs. in coal.
1t is highly probable that the highest
notch has not beeu reached yet In other
words, the combine has good strong pair
OF arms TO act as a ''tooster, and until
the boosted begins 10 wabblc On tho
branch to which it has been boosted. the
boosting act Will go steadily cn. Such
is the statement given out III the inner
circles i'll New York. Such IS the opiniou
of several of the dealers of this city.