Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-08-12
COAL FAMINE
IS THE OUTLOOK
Situation for the Thrifty House.
holder is Anything But
Comforting.
PRACTICALLY NONE STORED
Conditions This FAN VIII Re Different
From Last Year When Closing of
Smclters Relieved Pressure.

The coal situation Is anything but
comforting. A News" representative
who made the rounds of the coal offices
this morning, was assured that the out
look is indicative of some very siren
| uous times the coming cold season, and
! all because salt Lake hDuseholders are
| neglectlng to stock up their bins, as
| they did last summer and early fall
| when the warming was given. Fortu-
| nately, for the domestic consumer,
| there was a marked falling OFF in COM
mercial and Industrial consumption in
| the fall owing to the closing down of
so many smelters and mill plants, the
| reduction of railway operations. and
retrenchment in manufacturing, so that
| the householder had coal and to spare
| Moreover, there was fall in prices
| after much stocking up had been done
under the higher figures. So the do
| nestle consumer. II seems has been ar
| guing that there Is no use loading up
| this year, and in happy go-lucky rea-
| soning concluded to take chances. not
| withstanding the fact that good timeB
| are fast returning, the smelters and
| industrial plants are starting up again,
| the railroads restoring their service,
| and the population of the city has
| largely increased the past year. More
| over, the local yards have now hardly
| 10000 tons in storage, small figure
| when it is known that their capacity is
| for over LES 0O0 tons whereas last fall
| there was a heavy tonnage in storage
SO the yards were able the respond to
most any demand; and coal orders
We're filled without delay.
WHAT MIR, REEVES PREDICTS.
General Freight Agent ]. A Reeves
Of the Short Line, in this connection.
considers the situation serious. He says
the company has been storing coal, as
rapidly as possible but being in the
open air. the coal Stacks and deterior-
ates. There will be no more Australian
coal and about 1900 tons is about all
the coal the railway company has
heaped Up in its yards Then there pro-
misses To be the heaviest crops in the
history of the Short Line, which will
call for a heavy consumption of fuel
in the operation of motive power to
haul these crops. A great trouble is
that the coal mines have been working
only half time, on account of the Short
age in orders. so they can not keep
their miners who go drifting elsewhere
to find work. Thus, when the rush
comes in October and November, tho
mine operators can not get miners
enough, though the Short Line ana
Union Pacific have now hundreds of
coal cars idle.
Domestic consumers appear to be Il
skeptical lot. A year ago. there were
10000 tons OF coal stored in Salt Lake:
but people did not apparently relish
| putting up money in the summer for
| what would not be needed until late
| In the fall and winter. They argued
| 1t was the dealers business to get coal
and keep 1t in stock, so that whom
wanted II would be there, just like
| stocks in a grocery store, which must
| be replenished and kept up In advance
| of all possible demands. At the same
time the dealer does not want to keep
large stock in the local yards for I'M
certain periods on account OF the
Stacking and deterioration in the open
air.
STRIKE THREATENED.
The miners at Rock Springs are re-
ported as threatening TO go out on the
first OF the month. This will compli-
cate the situation still further, in fact,
tie everything up, II such scheme is
carried out Mr.. Reeves, however, has
no information on this particular phase
of the subject which would enable him
to give decided opinions.
MR.. DERRAHS VIEW.
General Freight Agent s. V. Derrah
of the Rio Grande spoke substantially
I'm the same line with Mr., Reeves. he
laid special stress on the fact that
his road could not haul out OF the
state the coal from the mines owned
by the ID. & r. G., according TO the
Interstate commerce law II could
only haul the coal mined by the indie
pendent companies beyond the state
lines, such as the coal from the pro-
perties owned by the Independent and
Union Pacific mines along Its lines
II was certainly the part OF prudence
on the part Of the consumer to lay In
stocks of coal In advance of winter
particularly in view of the resumption
of industrial consumption Mr. Der
rah had been informed that the sugar
company management had taken
active steps TO lay in large stocks of
coal at an early day
Manager Gunnell of the Central Coal
& Coke company said there was no
telling at this date what the miners
would do. az the convention had ad-
journed al Denver without practically
doing anything The trouble was about
reimbursement Of hours and conditions
of labor, and did not have SO much to
do with wages
UTAH FUEL OPTIMISTIC,
The Utah Fuel company people diff
fered with Messrs. Reeves and Der
rah I'm expressing belief In scarcity
OF cars, whereas these latter officials
thought there were plenty. The Fuel
company is putting out at present
G 600 tons daily from all OF It's proper
tics, but can produce 5000 tons on a
rush. The great trouble Is the failure
of people to store coal for winter In
the slack season. There are 10 months
in the year when work Is slack and
there IS hardly enough for the men 20
do. But In the rush season there are
more orders than can be readily filed
1t hardly pays the company 10 keep
mon idle through the summer 10 I'll
orders and II people win not be fore
hr Nttl gttst-
son. they must run their risks OF get
ting orders hlled when cold weather
comes.