The Topeka state journal., 1903-01-10

meantime. If he should not call on YOU
right away, drop US a line and let US
know what you need
we quote you for the month OF Sep
terlber our best Usage City shaft coal
at s2.25 per ton F. o. e. Usage City.
Very truly yours,
(signed) GUST JOHNSON"
since that time the Western Fuel
company" has advanced the price 30
cents on the ton, and dealers are unable
to secure coal at these prices. Meetings
Of the operators of Usage mines have
been held in Topeka and after these
meetings the price has been advanced
% cents a ton until the T. 0. b price OF
81 u has been reached. The few oper-
ators not in this combine seem to have
taken advantage of it, for they have
made their prices even higher than the
prices OF the opera tors IN the COMBINE
The dealers who sell Usage City shalt
for $3.50 are making not more than 20
cents a ton profit but this doesn't allow
for delivery. The price at the mines IS
81 75 the freight to Topeka 80 cents. the
charge for hauling and delivering to bins
is 20 cents the estimated shrinkage is
placed at 10 cents q ton, Whlch is
claimed by many to be at least cents
too high This makes the cost of Usage
City shaft coal to the dealer when de-
livered $3.50. and AT the price of S45O
leaves the dealer profit of about 70
cents on each ton. not allowing Tor the
hauling The profit on cheaper grades
-N1AAs
cases is equal to the profit on the better
grace. Dealers who are asking S4.f5 a
ton for Usage City shaft coal are MAX
ing IS cents profit, with the estimated
shIinkage placed al ID cents
OPERATORS SHIFT BLAME.
The operators deny all responsibility
for the high price of coal They claim
that the miners now work but eight
hours a day while they formerly worked
ten hours a day and that the shorter
hours lessons the output of the mines.
The operators also blame the rail
roads, on account of the shortage OF
cars for loss of two days in three by the
operators which necessitates the ad-
vance in the price of coal
Last summer coal was sold at the
mines for S1.15 when the operators were
at war and when the coal dealers were
in a fight with each other Usage City
shaft coal was sold in Topeka for $2.15
ton. At that time the price to the
miners was but 10 cents less than now,
the freight was the same and the
shrinkage and hauling were the same
David r. Casselman state mine in
spector, gives his views on the coal
shortage situation as follows: The
miners have received no advance in
wages since 1900 and / cannot see IN
what way he is responsible for the ad-
vance in the price of coal. 1t is fair to
! presume that some one IS controlling the
! coal of Usage, Scranton and Burlingame
mines 1t ought not to be hard to see
who is responsible for the advanced
/ price of coal F~om the reports I re-
4 ceive I find that the miners are produc-
/ ing more coal to the man than they
/ did under the ten hour system.
MINERS GET NO MORE
Thomas HerzOg, deputy state mine
/ inspector. stationed at Usage City, gives
4 his views on the situation as follows.
/ sAs far as the miner is concerned he re-
ceives no more for digging ton of coal
than he did last year. As to the eight
hour a day working rule I can say that
the miners worked only eight hours last
winter and received the same pay $3.50
a ton, that they are receiving now. In
summer coal is mined for Sl35 a ton.
This is the same contract that the
miners have worked under for three
years.
Mr.. johnson handles the output of all
the coal mines in Usage City and Peter
ton except two small companies with
small output I think that both the
dealers and the operators are response
BILE for the advance in the price of coal
I have lived in Usage county for thirty
years and mined coal for twenty years
and I have never seen the time when
the operators asked as much for coal as
they do now. The public is the sufferer
A ton of coal can be produced at the
mine for S2~25 and give the operator
good margin. I think that the dealers
profits at 10 cents are too high. [ have
always had the shrinkage figured in my
dealings at 10 cents on the ton. The
freight is too high at so cents as that
means $12 for hauling a twenty ton car
Of coal thirJy-five miles. 1 think that
the price of coal a the mines should be
1925, the freight 40 cents, the shrinkage
10 cents the cost of hauling 80 cents.
the dealers profits so cents. This would
make the retail price of coal in Topeka
S3.55 a ton.
There has been a shortage of cars at
the mines in Scranton and Burlingame
but as far as Peterton and Usage City
are concerned but few days have been
lost on account of the shortage of cars.
Il have seen the statements that the
reason there was a shortage of coal was
that the miners were off on a 'jamboree.'
The miners do not have any more jam
borees at Christmas than anyone else"