Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-05
Oskaloosa Operator Says That
Local Dealers Are Charging
Exorbitant Prices
LABoRTRouRLEs AFFECT PRICES
Operators Thing That if They Make rs
Cents Profit Per Ton They Are Do
ing Weil-Dealers Want One Dollar
Profit-charse Too Much for Iowa
Coal.

l.. r. Rosebrook. OF Oskaloosa, n
we'll known Iowa coal operator ana
owner of the Miller Creek mines at
Coalfield, spent Friday in the city look
ing after business matters. In speaking
of the coal situation Mr.. Rosebrook
says that coal promises to be higher
this winter than last, by probably 90
cents a ton. Your local dealers are
charging too much he said. AT the
mines, if we make profit of 70 cents
a ton, we think we are doing we'll. IL
a dealer doesn't make a dollar on every
ton he sells, he does not consider that
he is In the business. A discrimination
is made, also, between Iowa and Hi
nois coal, that l do not. like to see
Iowa Coal should not cost as much, in
proportion, as Illinois. but ! find that
some of our dealers are charging mora
Why they do, / am unable TO say.
Take it at the town OF Gilman, in
this county. Was there last month
and found my dealer selling coal from
his bins at 1915 a ton. This coal cost
him $2.71 laid down at Gilman. liz
was making a profit OF $104 on ever.
ton, and was not delivering 1t. The
people had to come to the bins for II
themselves, He wasn't charging as
much in proportion for Illinois coal.
''Marshalltown dealers at that time
were paying S2.25 at the mines for
COAL and there is a 15-cent rate IN
effect, so that the coal costs them So
fiat here They are selling for "a and
$3.50. Coal now. however, costs them
25 cents more than it did then, but
that still leaves a big profit
The labor question is having bad
effect on the price OF coal to consumers,
and we are at the mercy of the miners.
l am paying weekly, to my men. $1,000
in cash. besides what they receive as
credit on their supplies. bought ct the
company store. These supplies are
practically all of their living expenses
and the cash represents what might be
savings. But very few of the men lay
up anything, and are as poor at the END
of the year as they were when the new
year dawned. Before they went into
the union they were willing to work
six days in the week, and ten fours
each day. We cut down the day two
hours and increased the pay. They
did not want to work more than four
or five days. We again raised the
wages and now some of the men do moi
work over three days in the week,
and some OF them only two, or just
enough to make expenses. What can
We do? We have to grin and bear 1t.
IL we discharge them, and employ 9TH
ars, we are getting the same kind OF
men, They are no more interested in
whether or not We get out coal. TO
supply our trade, than were there no
such things as mines or coal in ex-
stence To give you an example | will
ell you of a little incident that came
Up with me only a few weeks ago. A I
; weeks old babe OF one of our men /
lied. Every man in the mine laid off.
because the father was union miner
md they wanted to attend the funeral
n respect to him. or the 200 miners
eighteen We're present at the funeral /
They were idle two days, and we did
40 business. At that very time the
Iowa Central was clamoring for coal,
wanted every pound that we could load |
md the men knew it. They didn't care
me way or another, and as they lad I
. purported excuse TO lay off, they did
10.
You can readily see that some one
lad to pay for this continued idleness
IN the part of the mines and it will
De the coal using public, TO a great
extent. The consumers have to pay an
Increase in price for their fuel. because
he mines have to charge more to make
Up for the time they are idle. II they
.ould do more business, and run stead
ly, you would see coal come down."