Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-07-20
HARD COAL WILL SOAR
Sioux City Dealers Count on
Getting S11 Per Ton
This Year
ADJUST SHORT WEIGHT TROUBLE
Action of Nebraska and Iowa Coal
Dealers Association Will Result in
Soft Coal Being Cheaper Than for
Many Years-sioux City Conditions
Representative of State.

SpeCldl 10 IllneS-1tepuDICdh.
Sioux City. July 20.-Hard coal viii
be higher this year than last.
Coal dealers in Sioux City do moi
hesitate to make this announcement
though they have not stated as ye
how much they will advance the price
TT is up to the dealers themselves
said today dealer who handles a large
share of the coal supply of Sioux City
Last year hard coal started at S9.75
here and went up % cents per month
until it reached $1,000. This year i,
will probably start at $11 and hold that
price thruout the winter"
1t is claimed by dealers that last
year they sold anthracite coal at sc
cents and 81 lower in Sioux City than
the same grades were bringing in Oma-
|ha, Council Bluffs and Sioux Falls
though the same freight rate prevails
This they do not propose to do the
coming season. 1t is the desire of the
principal dealers to meet and agree on
a price and maintain 1t.
Likely Agree on Sill.
1--WE may agree on $1,000 per ton
said another dealer today, but it is
more likely that we will get Sill per ton
for all anthacite."
Dealers admit that they are not COM
PEELED to pay any more for coal this
year than last, but they lost on many
shipments last season. so they say, and
will take precautions against the loss
by placing the retail price at S11.
70 Of
supply of anthracite Is contingency
familiar to all who have given the sub
ject thought, Sioux City dealers say
that the fact that the deposits OF an
thracite are limited, has not affected
the wholesale price.
at will bother us a great deal hum
dred years from now" said a dealer
who has studied the coal situation,
and yet 1t won't affect Sioux Cityans
now extant to any great extent. The
biologists who can calculate approx
mately the amount of anthracite re-
naming unmined must estimate that
there is coal enough to last this coun-
try for 100 years, If the population in
creases at the same rate it has since
the beginning of the nineteenth cen-
fury"
Supply Not Limited.
Coal men are watching for the
slightest indication of advances in
prices, because OF the limited supply,
and declare that there 10 no foundation
for the belief that either has affected
the price Of coal for the coming sea-
son. While many of those connected
with the United States geological sur
vey have limited the practicable use of
as fuel to half century,
Sioux City dealers have little faith in
the prediction or the geological survey.
Tho less has been mined this year than
during the last three years, 1t Is as
serted that the output will not affect
the price.
1t is a standing excuse for advance
in prices that it costs more to produce
1t at the mines, and hard coal is al
ready at disadvantage in competition
with the cheaper fuel.
Soft coal, in contrast to anthracite.
will be cheaper this winter than In
many years. This is due to the fact
that the Nebraska and Iowa Coal Deal
ers' Association secured an adjustment
of the short weight problem. and Sc
cured a better rate at the mine. Here
tofore from three to fifteen tons have
been stolen from each car in transit.
During the coming season coal dealers
will receive bills of iading for the cars.
and the railroad company agrees to
weigh coal at destination, making good
any loss in transit
Consumers have been compelled to
pay for losses in transit. which have
been a vexation to retail dealers for
years and have been the cause of the
price being from % cents to 81 higher
every year. Steam coal is now at Its
minimum, but lump coal will be much
lower In Sioux City from now on. The
dealers say conditions are much the
same over the state as here.