The daily Republican., 1902-12-17
TAKING No
COAL ORDERS.
City Dealers See No Fuel in Sight
So Have Practically Suspend
ed Business.
MAYOR WILL ACTTO=NIGHT
Tells The DAILY RErUBLICA> That
He Will Meet City Council
This Evening to Discuss
the Situation.

The only important development
in the local coal situation to-day
was the arrival of about 100 tons OF
| coal for small dealers This will be
disposed of i'll few days.
Another OF the local dealers re-
fused to take further orders fol
coal. I'VE do not know when wa
will get any more coal So we are
taking no orders" the company's
representative said.
1.-The situation is bad with regard
to hard coal and in worse shape as
to soft coal. Much Of the coal AZ
irving is for shipment on contracts.
Conditions will not materially I'M
prove during the next two months
| would advise people who have
some coal to husband 1t as closely
as they cam"
He said he hoped the soft coal
promised Nv operators would be Of
better quality than that brought
here in October, winch he declared
was unfit for use.
''NO new customers wanted" Is
The sign which flies before sever al
OF the coal offices.
The task Of supplying the estab.
lisned trade is making the owners
acd superintendent gray haired
and giving the men rheumatism
from the exposure 10 the weather.
10 the old customer The dea!ersays:
1--WE will do our best 10 see that
YOU don't actually run out. 10
the strangerseekln ing fuel be SAYS
Come in Tomorrow perhaps we
will have some.
In but few instances, the large
dealers say, have their customers
been in actual wantso far. but some
Of them have run dangerous near
that point. 1t is making car load
Of Goa cover The greatest possible
number of needs, they say. which is
their problem.
he stories that coal is being
boarded for a rise in the marKc are
positively denied by the coal roads,
reIuted by experts and from the in.
vestlsatious Of Iaymen seem to have
not the slightest foundations.
President Bacr, of the Reading,
was in New York ard was inclined
to blame the independent and
smaller NINE owners for creating
famine prices, which he and all Of
the Other officials say they are do
ing their best to hold at tie schelul-
ed rate
Reading officials are confident,
however, that conditions will i'm.
prove rather than grow worse from
now on if there is not series OF
storms that would Interfere with
Transportation.
A prominent citizen stated that
he. with number Of lricnds. h d
succeeded inpur ch asing carload OF
coal, but that it was ouy with 10
greatest difficulty that he had b-en
able to get it hauled 10 their homes,
and then only after the car ha1
been in the city several davs.
Other dealers stated that they had
great dlihculty in Obtaining carts
to deliver coal 1t was slid that a
number Of firms who owned teams
that usually hauled coal exclusively
had made contracts 10 do other haul
ing during The coal famine, and
we're unable to supply the teams
now that more coal was coming.
The = B. x w r, r. Company
Yesterday afternoon received l. car.
loads of coal each car containing
25 tons, which were sold In carload
lots at the rate of 80 5 a ton,
Mayer Fisher Informed The DAI-
~ REprELICAN this afternoon that
he would meet the members OF City
Council this evening 10 discuss the
local coal situation. Mayor Fisher
thinks the city should send two
representatives to the Reading
Railroad Company with an official
appeal for coa,