Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-12-30
THE COMMERCIAL SITUATION.
II is That Big Industries Are
Planning Reductions Of 10
Per Cent or More.
Lumber Dealer Says He win Join
Others In q Cut 20 stimulate
Spring Building.

. modities be able to maintain them
selves?
A travelling salesman who has just
come In from Idaho reports that gram
aries there are bursting with wheat,
that none Of It is being moved 70 mar
ket and that It Is being offered at vast
~ lower prices than the old market
standard.
From Morgan comes a report that
grain movements are slower than ever.
A decided drop I'm the price Of -four is
consequently expected, and rumOrs that
Il VIII come in the near future are cir
culating today.
The situation In coal is fully as serl-
GUS At the Offices Of the Utah Fuel
company this morning IL was learned
In answer 10 a question that orders for
coal by that company have been can
celled In wholesale lots since septem-
Der. and that today the mines are not
being called upon to supply over 50 per
cent Of what they were sending out up
10 September. One shift. working four
days a week runs the mines
For the lumber men, George +. Felt
Of the Felt Lumber company, when
asked how lumber prices were sus-
tanning themselves, declared that he
favored a 10 per cent reduction all
around. as move TO stimulate build
Ing In the spring.
A suggestion was made by members
OF the Civic league this morning, that
a healthful thing for the betterment of
Salt Lake would be for all members
% the building trades unions, and an
dealers In materials for building pur-
poses 20 agree to 10 per cent reduction
In prices. as a move to stimulate
ALABoR VIEW.
go to the butchers and grocers,"
said w. N. willis, business agent Of
he structural steel workers. 1--WE get
50 per day. ana with this we ars bare
~ able to pay room and board. We'd
like TO do our share OF keeping living
down, and helping industry, but with
the big present slump in livestock. We
don't see why we should be asked to
LAY the price of q COW almost for a
beefsteak, and then be asked TO stand
a 10 per cent cut in wages That
would mean 40 cents DAY. and we
couldn't stand L.
at least was willing to begin with
10 per cent cut In lumber. The law
a. supply and demand works quickly
in the case of labor, and in spite OF
the talk OF the union leaders, men are
undertaking each other I'm most Yo-
cations TO get Job at present.
COAL sITUATIoNo.
In answer to a question as to what
the coal people could do to help along
the work OF stimulating activity by
dropping the cost OF doing things, IL
was announced at the Utah Fuel Of
nces, that they fully recognized these
were hard times, and that policies punt
for an advancing market would not
work in this market But" SAID
company official coal prices depend
on other prices. our lumber advanced
In two years $40 per cent. Even mine
timb5er went up 100 per cent Labor
has twice advanced within the veal.
Any reduction In coal must follow re-
auctions In lumber and wages, ana
other items Of cost figuring INTO uhe
mine price.
How many men are working In the
various Utah Fuel oompany's camps
About 1000, and they are OF mixed
nationalities. Very few are Japanese
many are Greeks and Austrians. we
are not hiring any more now me
mines are not called on for 80 per cent |
on their output OF a few months ago.
we work only one shift now, and that
only four hours per day
TO one who recalls the demand FOR |
coal Of last winter and the winter be
fore, this statement Is suggestive OF |
the great scope OF the present halt -
industries.
- PROBABLE REDUCTION.
while the company would give out |
no Official statement Il was learned |
from a less authoritative source that /
both the Utah Fuel company and the |
Rio Grande railroad are hguring on a |
proposition TO make drop IN the |
freight on coal, and another drop IN /
fhe mine price. and that both Of these
may be announcements OF the next /
few weeks.
MANUFACTURING COAL
"You have heard was suggested to
a incl company official this morning i
"of the demand for more manutae-
tories here. 20 tide over seasons When
mines cease 20 be paying propositions, /
and of the demand for cheap manu-
featuring grade Of slack coal 10 en-
able these plants 20 operate su cess
fully Has the company any plans for
meeting this demandT'
We'll 1 don't see how we can s9e-
ciacally." was the answer. The man
,rho wants a car OF slack now can buy /
n exactly at the same price that the
railroads can buy Il. and that the
smeiters can buy IL. The inter-
stato commerce act requires ono
price on slack. and any rate ON thiH
KIND OF coal VIII have 10 apply 90 al
that Is offered In some eastern CEN
ters they make a great deal more
slack than we DO and they have mole
10 SCH, which drives the price down
DROP IN MEAT.
The commercial situation m Salt Lake
"a causing many people 20 do grea'
deal OF thinking and ORGANISATION to
nght the way out d. the thins most
talked OF ~ cooperative movements
Meat prices are much discussed, along
With coal and lumber prices, ana ~ y
learned that many shops efpeclallh |
those IN The outer districts. io pun
onlarlng good chf at l0 cents per 4
pound. of the quality for which nc
price last summer was % cents ana ID
cents per pound The labor leaders de.
clare thai any cut in the ilIdee Nlula
cause suffering until meaN ana sln-
-erlea nrerede thom la cutting tha cost
Tor living
ro illustrate the way in which large
companies are being pressed bi present.
4 lumber dealer here showed 'Nehh