The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-08
IT KNOCKED THEM SILLY
CONSERVATION Among the Sub
Dealers in Coal.
A BLOW AT THE PIRATES
They Can Get No More Coal From the
Importers Except at Retail Prices.
They Have Big Kick
Coming.

There is CONSERVATION and indigna-
ton among the Secondary" or Cub
dealers in coal in Butte. created by
the recent manifest issued by the i'm
porters or first hand" dealers, which is
ITO the effect that the sub-dealers can
have no more coal at figure less than
that charged the consumer. Therefore
there is a rub which has caused more
or less friction between the two classes
of dealers. The middlemen are en-
phatic in their declarations that the
importers have taken unfair and I'M
due advantage of them and have taken
business bodily out of their hands.
1t has been the custom in Butte for
the importers to sell coal to the middle
men on a margin so fixed as to admit
of a profit to both hands, and things
have gone along smoothly until the
last day or two, when the turn was
made, which the sub-dealers say has
knocked them silly"
c. ]. Smith, dealer in coal and
wood said yesterday with reference to
the action of the importers:
lit is the rankest trick that was ever
played upon a dealer in Butte. 1t will
operate to imperil our business so far
as the coal part of it is concerned. The
established dealers who are affected by
the action have been in business in
Butte longer than any of the men who
brought about the combination. All
of the su-erior qualities of coal are
taken entirely out of our hands. Our
customers are taken from us. 1t GER
tainly looks like a combination to force
us out of business"
F. l.. Grandy, another coal and wood
dealer, said:
'"They told me day before yesterday
that I could have no more coal until,
of course, I pay the retail price for it.
It's cold blooded proposition from the
start. 1t means all the profit for them
and that we must quit the coal bust
ness. I have paid to these importers,
on an average, $1,000 or $1,000 month
for coal. This business is taken from
me now; but I have wood customers
who also use coal and buy it of me-
These I will continue to furnish with
coal, even if / deliver it to them at a
loss. 1t is, to look at it squarely,
combination to drive us out of the coal
business q" a'4
One of the large importers, in ex-
planning his position in the matter, and
he said that his was identical with that
of the others, said that the action was
taken as measure of protection to the
consumer. 1t appears that during the
winter months many men whose assets
consist principally of a team of horses
and wagon engage In the retail coal
business to small extent. That is,
they go ITO the importer and buy load
of coal, weight it on the company scales
and takeffthe company's weigh slip and
sell to the consumer with that slip.
Now" said the importer. some Of
these teamsters have deceived their
customers by representing that the load
correspondent in weieht to the figures
on our scale slip, when as a matter Of
fact they had dropped off a sack or
two at their barn, thus living short
weight. The customer comes back on
us with the slip for explanation and
there you are. Something had to be
done; we had to begin somewhere and
sometime, so We made the sweeping
edict that henceforth no one should get
coal for less than the retail figure"
While no official word was given out
to the effect, yet it is believed that in
due time the embargo will be removed
in so far as it affects the established
coal dealers and that sooner or later
they will be trafficking in coal as has
been their custom. Still the dealers
said last evening that judging from the
nature of the ultimatum, they held out
little hopes of a compromise at any
figure or on any terms. They are pro-
nounced in their denunciation of the
methods of what they term ''90-day
men," that is men who traffic in coal
only during the winter months. "pi-
rates" they also term them. At the
same time they cannot account for the
sweeping action of the importers,
claiming that the established deal
ers are being unjustly Disseminated
against.
Beautiful Parasitic handsomest pre-
,i,,,, off I,y e.