The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-27
COAL MEN EXPLAIN
LOCAL DEALERS DENY THAT
 THERE IS COMBINATION.
They write LetteFs Defendin@ the Kfighi Prices Charged Montgomery Con-
 suners aud Point to sheRt s9l suppIy At 1Iines.

Montgomery retail dealera In ceal declared that the prices they were ask ing for domestic fuel were as low as they could be fixed, considering the prices demanded by the mines, and se- cure 8 reasonabie profit.
 Tn at least one instance 1t was de- nied that the local dealers had com bined to fix the price.
 The following letters are self sx- planatory: 1 Editor Montgomery Advertiser.
 Tn this mornings issue Of The Ad- vertiser, page tea. there is an article on the price of coal in Montgomery which does great injustice to the coal dealers here, The article is evidently written by one who is not familiar with coal conditions and who thinks that coal is coal
 First be states that the price of coal in Montgomery ts te per ton. We beg to state that the price of coal In Montgomery is from $3 to s7 per ton according to- the kind Of coal furnished. - ,sse44E esss
 "A great point is made of the fact that coal is selling at Coosada at $3.50 per ton. We do not know what kind of coal is selling at that price, but we beg to say that we will pay fifty cent per ton more than that, for every ton of coal delivered to us between now and January 1st, of Biocton Cana ba which we sell, or the grade sold by the Anderson Coal Company, un- sold by the Montgomery Light and Water Power Company. under the name of Dixie 3s ssgss
 'IR this connection we beg to say that an officer of our company spent two days in Birmingham ten days ago trying to get good domestic coal and in most cases he was met with the statement that they had no coal to offer for the next ninety days. In other cases where price was quoted, 1t was subject to the ability of tha mine to furnish.
 He placed orders for a considerable quantity, at prices higher than those at which you aay Coosada ia retailing, but up to the present we have not received notice of the shipment of a single car. s [ws41 4.s- s.s.
 There are, inferior Rrada of coal which can probably be sacunsd, and sold at Ss.B0 to S4 per ton. but our. experience In the past has been, that. when we send customer that kind of coal we lose that customer; conse- quent we do not care to handle 1t.
 ''Second--Tour writer claims that the 3fues lH Noftu A1aBamA VIII not sell to consumers in Montgomery.
 We beg to state that there are mines in North Alabama which do sell to consumers, and we have seen their quotations to Montgomery parties within the past two weeks.
 We have also been informed that some Montgomery people have pur-- chased coal in this way. but their .ex- peTience did not encourage them to do SO again.
 we are of the opinion that the ques- ton which confronts the coal dealers of Montgomery is not what price they will pay, but whether they will get any coal at all.
 If we should have six days of freez- ing weather, we do not believe there would be ton of domestic coal in Montgomery.
 The three largest producers of coal in the Birmingham district have had none to offer for sale since July, and the other mines are very naturally taking advantage of the situation to raise prices. -E
 Judging from the dieiculty of get. ting any coal at all. we should say they are having no trouble getting what they ask.
 "In conclusion we beg to say that we cannot sell Bloctop Cahaba lump at less than S6 per ton and make a living profit, and if the coosada dealers can, we would like to set one of them to manage our business for us.
 "Very respectfully,
 Montgomery Ice & Cold Storage Go.
 By T. H. Moore, President"