The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-01
UP GOES COAL.
Price Is Advanced % Cents and
Will Be Higher.

Topeka coal dealers today received
circular announcing that the coal trust
in this state has raised the price on coal
at the mines IS cents a ton. This is the
August 1 raise Another raise of similar
proportions is expected on September J..
Topeka retailers will make no increase
in the price of coal during the month of
August. Usage will stay at $3.50 a ton,
Burlingame at $425 and southern Kan
sas lump at 81 T5.
Topeka dealers say that they are now
obliged to pay $2.25 at the mine for
southern Kansas lump, $2S7 for Usage
and 500 for Buriingame. The freight
rate on southern Kansas lump is $1.40
on Usage 60 cents and on Burlingame
slightly less than Usage. This would
make Usage cost the local deader $3.47
on the cars in Topeka, to which must be
added about so cents for delivery. This
leaves the local dealer a profit of about
so cents a ton on Usage.
The local dealers say that the cost of
hauling coal is higher this year than it
was last They also claim that they are
only able to hold the prices down to the
July rate because they are well stocked
up on coal, and can afford to sell it at
the old rate as long as it lasts.
In Kansas City the same advance in
price of coal has been made as in To-
peka, and there, as here, the local deal
ers will maintain the old retail rates
during August.
A meeting of the executive board of
the Southwestern Interstate Coal OPP
orators association is being held in
Kansas City today to discuss the new
prices that are to be made on coal in
this section and to decide on when the
advance will go into effect. The
amount of the raise in price for Septem-
Der will probably be discussed by the
executive board in its meeting today
1t is believed by many of the operators
and dealers that the price of coal to
the consumer this year will be far
greater than for many years.
The reasons given for the increase are
that the cost of the coal to the oper-
ators is greater by reason of the in
creased wage scale of the miners and
the demand is for more coal than is in
sight The orders are now in excess OF
the supply and the dealers are appre-
demand at any price. The conditions
are therefore, right for a heavy in
crease in the cost of coal TO the con-
sumer and the operators and dealers
are not going to overlook the advantage
that conditions give them. The in
creased consumption of coal does not
account for the vastly increased de-
mand, and the theory of those who have
studied the situation is that the smaller
dealers are discounting the expected
boost in prices by buying their winter
supply on the summer market. This is
| believed to be one of the matters which
will come before the executive board to-
day and it may follow that a big in
crease in prices by the operators and
! dealers will be made to discount the ex-
/ pected increase in cost to result from the
new wage scale which will go into et-
/ feet September l.
The members of the executive board
which will meet at Kansas City are;
! Misso ~ri-John H. Rovard, A. f. Har-
| per, David Mackie. Kansas. c. Dew
! lin A. r. Kirkwood. Ora Darnall- Ar
/ kansas-Franklyn Bates Charles S
| Keith Archie Crane Indian Territory
| Carl Scholz, William Busby, S. j. Ton
kin.