Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-25
ANNUAL COAL SCARE
AN ADVANCE IN PRICE REGARD
ED AS POSSIBLE.
Local Dealers, However, Doubt II
There Will Be Any Change From
Present Schedule.

The annual coal scare. which, d stated
yesterday in The Star, Is endeavoring to
inf1ict itself on the Washington public,
struck New York yesterday in the shape of
| a threatened increase in the price of stove
| coal. Interviews with Washington dealers
! today, however, elected the comforting in
| formation that while a corresponding In
crease here is not probable, 1t Is well
| within the range of possibility. In fact. 1t
seems to rest with the dealers whether they
! want to charge $50 per ton for stove coal
during the winter, or let the public off with
| the present price of 1925.
| Most of the dealers, by the way, are not
| talking for publication. They are think
! ing seriously however, and one or two OF
| them remarked confidentially today that
] the margin of profit during the winter
should be little larger.
Mr.. o. p. Johnson of the firm of Johnson
Brothers explained the situation to rep
resentatfve of The Star.
There are many things concerning the
coal business he said, (which the Wash
ington public fails to take into considera-
ton. Our margin of profit on a single ton
| is small, and when the streets are covered
with Ice or snow, the cost of delivering a
single ton eats up nearly all that margin.
Four years ago the price of good grade
stove coal was about $5.25 per ton. Today
it is $729 per ton, an increase of approx
tual profit, has not increased one penny.
True Regarding Coal.
1--WE hear great deal about the in
creased cost of living. 1t is disputed by
some, affirmed by others, but as far as it
affects coal, l can assure you that it Is
true. Today coal costs more at the mines,
costs more for transportation, costs more to
handle. and as a direct result it takes a
greater capital to maintain the same guam
tity of business: When all these increases
are figured up it leaves the margin almost
exactly what it was four years ago.
Il cannot predict the price which will
prevail this winter. 1t is possible, of course,
that the price may be increased % cents
or even 90 cents per ton, but it is not prob
able. II Washington was business city,
where 80 per cent of it's population realized
the gradual increase in cost of production
of nearly everything, there would be no
complaint about the threatened increase
But Washington, to a great extent, Is a
salaried town, and it's people cannot under
stand why the cost of anything ought to
be higher tran two, three or four years
ago."
Mr.. Johnson's attention was called to the
fact that while Washington paws 81 % per
ton for stove coal, New York consumers
get the same quality coal for 1925 per ton.
mere are two good reasons for this
he explained. First, New York is about
IS cents per ton nearer to the coal mines
ondly, the New York dealers sell the short
ton of 1900 pounds, while the Washington
consumers get the long ton, or 224O
pounds"
Other Dealers Coincide.
Other dealers are about of the same
opinion. 1t is not believed the coal-carry-
ing railroads will increase the cost of
transportation, nor is it probable that the
cost of production or handling will in
crease. The only increased expense will
fall directly upon the local dealers in de-
hVerlng from their yards to their custom
ers, and whether the consumer or the
dealer Is to stand this loss remains to be
seen.
Twenty-Five cents per ton seems an insig-
n1ncant increase in price, but it means a
net additional profit to the dealers of $3.50
Tor every LOCO tons sold. To the average
consumer 1t means only an additional cost
OF "a or % for the winters supply, but in
many cases this is considerable