Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-07
THE PRICE OF COAL
THE AVERAGE PRODUCT MAY
BRING 1925 PER TON.
Views of a Dealer on the Local Situa-
tion-Difhcult to Obtain
Fuel.

Prevailing conditions in the Washington
coal market are such that local dealers
find themselves unable to sell coal of aver
age size at less than 50 or sS.25 per ton, and
are unable to promise any reduction until
late in November or early in December,
when they hope the price may be lowered
to S.25. These are the conclusions adj
vanced this morning by dealer. and they
were based upon a review Of the situation
in Washington, which was substantially as
follows:
Goal Is coming into Washington at pres.
ent in what dealers call odd cars That is
to say, there are only a few carloads re-
ceived a day. The Baltimore and Ohio
railroad has brought no coal cars into the
city at all during the past few days. On
the Pennsylvania tracks the shipments
have been small. From twenty five to
thirty-tive tons make up the ordinary car
load.
Retail dealers order their coal through
the agents of the operators. There is In
Baltimore, for example, an agen: who re-
eeives all orders for the southern district.
These agents for the most prominent Oper-
ators have not shipped ton of coal to
Washington since the strike. This is be-
cause the operators are hurrylnss shipments
to the north and northwest order to get
to that market before navigation closes.
Such coal as has been received here has
come. therefore, from small operators. This
is so very true that no local dealer has been
able to obtain even a price list from the
large operators.
Practically Ignored.
"As the Washington market Is practically
ignored by the owners of the largest mines,
Washington coal dealers are compelled to
buy from the owners of smaller mines and
to pay practically whatever these smaller
open no retail dealer knows when he Is to
receive his coal. His order may have been
on file a month"; but if a new order goes
into the agents office at so cents more
ton the earlier order is set aside and the
new order filled first. But with the market
limited to the smaller concerns this situa-
ton, bad as 1t was, is made worse The
price of the coal now coming into Washing
ton is 1913 per ton on the tracks. When
the dealer has sent a team to the car, load
ed his cart, transported the coal to his yard
and recarted it to the residence of his GUS
toner the cost has been increased to at
least IS per ton. If the shipments continue
to be small as small as they have been re-
Gently, the price must advance beyond So,
perhaps to ss75 or 50 per ton.
THE only remedy lies in the shipment of
more coal. When all the operators are TAX
ing orders and the supply of coal has CORE
spondlngly increased the situation will be
greatly relieved. According to the news
papers, President Baer has announced a
uniform price Of 1915 per ton for coal at
the mines. The freight will amount to So
on each ton. There are further expenses
which will add 70 cents to the cost. The
dealer expects to pay $3.50 for each ton Of
stove, nut or egg COAL then, as soon as the
market is restored to It's normal condition.
The cost of coal to the consumer will thus
be about 81 5 per ton.
Matter in Doubt.
How soon the market will become nor
NAL no one can tell. Ordinarily navigation
ceases in the north and northwest about
Thanksgiving day or the early part of De-
cember. Shipments from the large COM
panies should be received Immediately
thereafter, and the first of such shipments
will have a most salutary effect on the
Washington market. The monopoly of the
small operators will then be at end.
"An agreement was made by the dealers
in the District of Columbia some time ago
that coal should be retailed at S7.25 per
ton. This action was taken with an ap-
parent disregard of the conditions which
now govern the market If any man in
Washington sells coal today at that price
he will bankrupt himself. I suppose that
action was taken to prevent any one dealer
from making a fortune by cornering all the
coal first received and selling it at his own
price. But it is idle to talk of maintain
ing a uniform price of S7.25 when coal
costs Sc 10 on the cars"