Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-03
COUTANT ON COAL QUESTION
Defends Retail Dealer, Against Current
Imputations Of Local Trust.
SAYS TRADE IN OMAHA HAS SMALL PROFIT
Price of Hard Coal at Chicago, Freight
and Cost of Carriage, Leaves
Very Small Margin to
DO Business.

Charles X. Coutant of the firm of Coutant
d Squires refused TO allow himself TO be
interviewed at the time an INJUNCTION was
issued against the Omaha Coal exchange.
He wished to have time to prepare an in
terview and put 1t in writing. Mr.. Coutant
bds offered the following for publication:
4 The general impression with many is
nat the coal dealers, through a monopoly,
are practlcing a rank extortion, partlcu-
larly as to the price of anthracite coal
The terms and conditions under which
dealers buy their coal are open and public
There is no secrecy about it. Since the
great strike of three years ago the sale OF
hard coal on car at Chicago has been as
follows per ton, the lowest price being
made in April each year; The April price
was So; May. 500; June. 500: July. $780,
August, 1910. and the balance of the year
tS6.50. There was % deduction, rebate or
variation from these prices. This year
when April / came the coal operators and
the miners had not yet settled the terms
and conditions of mining. A settlement was
reached in April and an agreement was
made extending three years to April l, 1909.
When May ! Of this year came the lowest
price of the season to then was made--s6. 10
On car in Chicago. The usual advance of
10 cents per month has been made since,
and the price IN Chicago September 1 was
$3.50. and. following the usual custom, will
doubt remain at that figure the balance
of the year
~. These sales of the coal companies are not
absolute. You can't get an absolute con-
tract for any number of cars. If you order
fifty cars Of any company they only agree
to do their best TO fill It. When the end
of the month comes and they have shipped
forty-fve cars only and you want the ad-
ditional five cars you have to pay the price
of the next month, 10 cents advance. So,
you see, we are up against 1t.
Explains the Advance.
THE coal-producing companies have an
explanation for this advance of 10 cents a
month. They say no one would buy coal
In April for use in October II he could get
It on the last day of September at the
same price as in April The retail dealer
would not buy and his customers would
not buy of him. If man buys coal two,
three, four or Ave months before he wants
to use it you must make It an object to
him TO do so. II he can buy it the day
before he wants II at the same price he
could I'VE months before, IL goes without
saying that II he has sense he will wait
But the companies are producing even In
Z summer several million tons per month
They haven't storage room for even a
small part they want TO produce They
couldn't store It II they wanted to; SO
they say to the dealers all over the United
States, You have sheds. In the agsre'
gate you can store several million tons
II you will take 1t in We will make you 9
rebate proposition to the length of time
you buy before you want to use 1t. This
b why the companies can carry on mining
A..et he for IL their bllgi
Z ness would come pretty nearly to a stand