The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-19
COAL PRICE IS up
Usage Will Be Sold at $500 on
Local Market Tomorrow.
Notice of the Advance from the
BarOnS
BEATS ALL RECORDS.
Is Highest Point Ever Reached
in Topeka.
Believed That the Price Will BE
Still Higher.

Another advance of Is cents ton on
Usage City coal has been announced
to take effect November 20. This will
cause coal on the local markets to rise
from $4.75 to S. per ton, the highest
price known in Topeka during the last
20 years, and probably in it's whole
history This latest advance is die
tated by Gus Johnson. alias the West
ern Fuel company of Usage City.
It is expected that there will imme-
diately follow an announcement of an
other advance in the price of Bur-
nngane. Instead of being retailed
here at $3.50. it will be boosted UP to
s4.7@.
News of the advance in Usage was
received today by local dealers. 1t
came in the form of a postal card
mailed at Usage City, November Is,
accordig to the postmark. but dated
on the reverse side November 20. This
means that dating from November 20
the advance will go into effect. The
card is printed with a blank in which
is filled the new price. The statement
on the card is as follows:
Dear Strive quote you subject to
conditions noted below best Usage
City shaft coal, F. o. B. Usage City,
So. IS per TOM
Then follows a statement of the ship
ping COuQ1llOIS, W6lS1lSs GlC. Lie ptfsc
of Usage at the mine has been So 10 since
the last advance was made. Local dea-
lers do not profit by the advance. 1t is
the coal trust represented by Gus John
son which is enriched. The following
is what it now costs the dealers in To-
peka:
Usage F. o. B. mines .............. 3d. 5
Freight to Topeka ............... 60
Shrinkage in weight ............. 35
Cost of hauling .-.................. Az
Total cost per ton ......~... 40
Net profit to dealer, 80 cents a ton.
These figures may vary slightly in diff
ferent cases. Sometimes the shrinkage
will not run as high as 80 cents ton,
and sometimes it runs as high as 90
cents. Some dealers are able to do their
hauling for less than 40 cents ton. The
dealers profit however, is usually be-
! tween 80 and so cents per ton, which is
| less than 10 per cent
! One Topeka dealer stated today that
he used to make cents ton more on
| Usage coal at So a ton than he can now
make with coal at IS.
There is no possible reason for the
new advance in the price of coal except
the desire of the grasping operators tf
make money out of the misfortunes O
the people of western Kansas who art
unable to get coal from Colorado. There
has been no advance in wages to serve
as a fiimsy pretext for an increase II
price. There has been no cnan2e II
t freight rates. so far as known. 1t Is
simply case where the operators have
the country at their mercy, and they are
going to squeeze the orange dry.
A Santa Fe conductor who travels II
western Kansas and is familiar witt
the impending coal famine out there
SAYS that he believes that within si1
weeks Usage coal will be selling at s.
a ton.
The present cold snap has aided the
efforts of the coal trust to plumber the
consumers People must. have Goa
when the temperature goes down tc
IL above zero, and they will pay any
price the trust wants to ask. Topeka
coal dealers have been working every
availa BILE team and wagon trying tt
fill the coal orders during the pas
Wae1--
So far the Topeka coal dealers have
had no meeting to agree upon time
for raising the price of Usage to IS
ton. 1t is known, however. that quite
a number Of the dealers are entirely
out of Usage coal. and the new con
Isignments which they receive will have
to be sold al IS in order to get am
profit This will enable all the dealer!
to make the advance and probably b.
the end of this week the prevailing
price will be IS on the local market.