The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-16
The OTHER Side HAS AN INNING
What a Roanoke Coal Dealer Has
to Say.

What a Roanoke Coal Dealer Has
to Say.
no says the Norfolk and Western Rail-
road Company is Entirely Responsible
for the High Prioe OF Coal In Roanoke.
BE Does Not wasn't to be Hanged or
Put In JaiI-An Earnest End orsefnent.
Heigho, Mr.. Editor, what is all this
racket about coal dealers for? Why, we
are reported by your paper to be con-
spirators, robbers, extortfoners and un-
just violstors OF the law and fis SUBJ
jec!s for the attention of tho grand
jury. Indeed! Well. we are appalled,.
l suppose we have got to sell coal
cheaper or else go to jail, or, perhaps,
We may be allowed to quis business
and go into some more honorable ~
calling. But, see here, before YOU do
alt down on as and convict us OF all the
crimes known to tho lsw will you not
look into this matter little? In the
first place we would ask you not to
judge of our prices by the price obtain
ing for coal elsewhere-in other cities.
Perhaps you are not aware that the
Norfolk and Western railroad has 8
monopoly of business here and freight
rates are different from what they are
at points where there are competing
| lines.
The nearness to the mines has moth
Ing to do with 1t. We are credisably
! informed that Norfolk, for instance. pays
no more freight on coal than we do in
Roanoke. and such coal retsils as IS per
ton. You will then have to take the
situation as 1t exists here. Do not con-
vict us from schedule of prices regu-
lated by the freights to greas extent
that obtain at other points. Do you
know again that the people Of Roanoke
VIII not have anything, generally speak
Ing, except clean lump, screened coal?
Do you know that ut other points coal in
always sold just as the dealer buys II. ana
that the consumer gets IN his lump or
nut coal about 20 per cent, and In his
run of mine coal about 33N to so per
cent. of slack coal?
Do you know that we are glad to get
for this slack coal, which we screen out,
%, or just enough to pay the freight?
well. let US figure little: The cost of
coal delivered In Roanoke to us Is So. 10
Tor S'24o pounds. We buy 1t by the car
load and weigh IL out in small lots.
Now, anyone knows that the weight
Will not hold Dub IL we give our
customers fair and honorable weight,
and If we do not. then are we, indeed,
robbers and thieves? Well, we figure
that we do not GET much over 1000
pounds. and We make our weights and
figures accordingly. Now, take car
load OF coal, say twenty tons
In IL we have 10 tons at 81. so, .S79. 90
-Four tons OF slack at S2........ 500
$4,000
! Deduct cost OF Goals
Twenty tons at SO. TO-. =. :. $4,000
Hauling 90 tons, 400 o ton 90 $40 90
$1,000
Now, here Is profit OF $40, or fifty
cents per ton; or sixteen per cent. on
our capital,out OF which we have to pay
rents, phones, taxes. license TAX to
State and an extra special tax to
State and an extra special tax to city,
many other smaller expenses and make
. living, to say nothing of losses from
bad debts. Now, is sixteen per cent.
gross profits to retail dealer too much
for him to make? II so will generous.
public say what the limit ls, go that we
can have the alternative Of quitting
business or being locked up, hs the case
may be; provided, however, that is is
right and proper for the purchaser to fix
prices. But, agAin,we do not got 81. SO
for all our COAL We sell good deal
ct 81 90 In five ton lota.
But, here you complain again and say
this hardship to the poor man. Well ,
perhaps this Is true and perhaps we
should charge all alike 81 SO. And yet
In every department. of business the
large buyer has an advantage over .
email buyer In tho matter of prices for
several reasons which I have not the
space to mention here. You buy cake
OF soap Tor nickel or 6 for $50, 81 worth
at the lower rate would be 81. 80 at the
higher rate, or $50 worth of sosp (the
cost of five toms coal) would be ct the 1
for NICKEL rate S24. The principle la
the same. Now am speaking about che
prices as made by my individual firm.
Perhaps you buy your coal for less than
these figures, and perhapa your dealer
Is swindlinR you in the matter of weight.
do not know. But these figures would
appear TO me to be nowise exorbisant
for good, clean coal, with a lust and
righteous weight, delivered In your coal
house. $3.50
In estimating the amount OF slac,e
coal 81 20 per cent. wo do not say that
IL contains that much slack when
shipped from the mines. It does not
put being very soft coal; having to be
handled two or three times, stacking
ana disintegrating oil the time It Ia on
the yard land we must necessarily keen
some stock on HANDY we do not think
tue percentage OF slack when deliyered
20 consumer to be en- an average too
large. The delivery ct 40 cents ia whas
we DAY tn all bfrod Io,r.,