Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-06
s725 A Tl# ENOUGH
Little Necessity Of Paying
Higher for Coal.
COMMITTEES REPORT
IT.
BELIEVED THAT SUPPLY FROM
INDEPENDENT OPERATORS
viii Drop to Philadelphia and Read
ing Figure Somebody's
Meeting.


| meeting in the rooms of the Board of Trade
this afternoon Mr.. Thomas w Smith.
| president of the Board of Trade and chair
| man of the committee, presided, and Mr.
| Barry Buckley. secretary of the Business
| Mems Association, acted as secretary
| There were present besides those mentioned
! Mr.. E. Southland Parker, Mr. w G. Hem
| derson Mr.. W. F. Gude president of the
Business Mems Association: Mr.. Wilton J.
| Lambert, Mr., r. p. Andrews. Mr.. L: P.
| Shoemaker, Mr.. John Joy Edison and Mr..
/ John Doyle Carmody
| Mr., Lambert read the report of the SUBJ
committee that visited Philadelphia and
| Baltimore and talked with operators and
| railroad officials, the main features of which
| have already been printed in The Evening
/ Star
Mr.. Edison, chairman of the subcommittee
appointed to ascertain the real condition in
| Washington and the causes thereof SUBJ
pitted the following report:
Conditions in Washington.
.eThe subcommittee was appointed to
| make as thorough an inquiry as practicable
as to the true conditions in Washington
| that affect the coal supply ct this time.
Great anxiety, we are all aware, has ex-
| listed for weeks in Washington, apprehend-
| ing that there would be an unprecedented
| scarcity of fuel for all purposes, resulting
| in general discomfort and suffering.
| Alarm over the situation reached point
| where, after careful consideration, the non
| orable Commissioners of the District of Co
| unbia deemed it proper to appoint COM
mittee of citizens to make an intelligent
| and car afui inquiry and report with view
| tnat some relief might be discovered. This
| committee, endeavoring to carry out the
| part assigned to it, prepared and forward
ed to many of the leading coal dealers sew
| eral practical questions that would secure
| information THAT WOULD enable tneH 10
make "a report.
'.The following questions were submitted
! to the dealers and were deemed to be fair
| and proper. and not hIquisitorial, and were
SO intended; expecting that answers would
| be willingly and promptly made. thus aid
| ing the committee III performing the public
I service devolved upon II.
| Here follow the questions. winch nave
| been printed.
| About half made replies. and, with few
| exceptions those replying belonged to the
! Washington coal exchange. The following
| are replies made by several principal deal
ers. which show the different views taken
| by them: -
Some of the Replies.
| - The only answer. l. have to the above
| is that the companies care mining as fast
| as they can, the railroads are hauling as
fast as they can, Every dealer is delivering
| as fast as he can get the coal and there is
no discrimination anywhere. The impossi-
bic cannot be done; and one of the impos-
! sible things is that; tine work of seven
! months can be done in one. II L were TO
write volume J. could not give truer
reason for the scarcity of coal in Washing
| ton. go ~
Another:
~ am not a member of the Washington
| coal exchange. An agreement has been
proposed to me which l nave signed. Inc
normal supply of coal in Washington at TINS
| time is prevented because the operators DO
not ship it here. In my opinion an embar-
| go does not exist. At this time coal Is re-
- nn Co. md
other sizes l have not purchased any coal
! from the independent companies. Inc
! Pennsylvania Railroad and Mining Com
| pany, through their agents. j. Hills q Co.
| shipped four cars since the Strlke
| Would not take orders last month for more
! than that amount. They have promised to
! ship US coal this month, but would not say
/ how much. In our opinion the operators
! have been shipping the coal east and west,
as the climate is much colder than 1t IS
/ here. and they feel that those who are SUI
fering the most for coal should nave II
first. The Pennsylvania railroads price IOr
| egg. stove and nut last month was 80 a
| ton, F. O. B. Washing ton, d. c.; that is %
cents higher than the Reading price
Another.
| In answer to your questions submitted
| December g. 1902, 1 beg to say that am a
| member of the Washington exchange
| in good and regular standing. An agree
| ment has been proposed by the ReaoinS
| Coal Company which have signed. In my
opinion the great demand for coal IN the
| north and west, where navigation closes
| early, has SO far prevented a supply OF coal
| in Washington. i do not THINK an embargo
exists. The retail price for coal at TINS uIne
| Is 81 per ton for furnace size. 81 "a per ton
| for egg, stove and chestnut.
| AT the above prices nave sold coal 10
| my customers since the strikers resumed
| work. During the summer and Iaii. Whiie
| the strike was on, l sold coal furnace SIZE
~ pln
| l have not sold a ton of coal during the
| past season except at those prices, and at
! the beginning of the strike my yard was
| full. / have purchased coal since tne re-
| sumption Of work of the Reading Coal COM
| pany at $.,.75 per ton at the mines ana ~
| freight, or for IS. 10 per ton on the track IN
| Washington. / have not found 1t necessary
to purchase coal from the independent com
| panies, as the Reading Coal Company has
| been very kind. / have placed orders Win
the Reading company and they are peihs
filed promptly.
| having trouble who bought coal last spring
| at $5.25 per ton or less and sold It during
the strike for $40 and $12 per ton inese
men. in my opinion have been spot1 hD ths
! Washington pubiic-and are fortunate TO
| be anIe to buy coal at any price.
I I'VE give extracts from several circular
letters addressed to ths coao ae enaI Er1
| change and signed by W. 81. Baum, secre-
| tary, showing the object for which 1t Is or
ganized and 'coridll1Sftedf.2.s /. avn. % 1000
:. The washington Coal Exchange started
| out on business principles to protect them
| selves and at the same time to 90 business
with the consumers squarely. There Is
nothing row hatswouFd prevent the coal
| dealer to ask ana receive from the con-
sumer, who is corfipelied to have coal. $40
| per ton. and, If the Washington Coal Elk
| change did not exist to-day, all sorts Of
prices would prevail and the people who
had the money Would buy all the visible
stocks, selfishly looking after their own in
| terests. / am SATISFIED that the citizens Of
| the District of CoiYmbis, will appreciate the
| action of the exchange IN their endeavor to
keep the price of coal down to where 1T
| should be II there was no strike 1t Ia the
| feeling OF the exchange that this policy will
i be continued until circumstances. over
| which they have no control. Will make
/ every dealer act for himself.
-. September e. 1902.
I have always advocated that the coal
| business SHOULD be clean and above re-
| proach, and that you should aim at all
1 times to make your business command the
respect OF yourself, and when you do that
you Will have gained the respect and con-
fidence OF the people who are your cnsto-
r.ers.
81 think that an now In better DO