The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-11-19
THE "INDEPENDENTa COAL PRODUCER.

"A most casual reading Of the statutes Of Utah shows that
within the power of the secretary of state and the attorney
general of Utah begin proceedings against the coal trust
Utah with the best of prospects of That there IS
coal composed of the railroads. the independent
ducers and the Salt Lake retailers everybody IN the state
knows. They combination to raise the price OF
necessity of e for which the Utah statutes provide
penay that penalty comprises the loss Of their charters
and the dissolution of the offending companies.
There is a chain Of evidence that would convince any
jury the United States that ofense against the statutes
of Utah being committed The Salt Lake retail coal deal
raised the price of coal 80 cents November l.
1t concerted action Then defense of that action
they produced circular from the producers announcing an
increase in coal at the mine Then the information
that the retail dealers still selling coal they stored dur
ing the months and that they not selling the
hgherpriced COAL they paying the higher price be
they selling coal they have had in storage IN the
yards.
There is evidence of thorough combination between
the producers and the retailers and that the railroads IN
it. because the railroads most of the producing coal
companies There several Independent companies, but
the railroads control them The word independent ap
piled a coal company in Utah is something of joke
The statutes Utah prescribe that the secretary Of state
shall notice upon the companies in the combination
dissolve the combine If they do not do within thirty
days the dny of the attorney general Of the state to be-
gin proceedings himself to notice upon county
attorney the state to begin proceedings verdict in favor
of the that the corporations that in the
bne lose their charters lose their rights to do business IN the
state and become dissolved.
The law confers full authority upon the two state off
Gals act and there be doubt of The mat
ter would to be to the secretary OF state and the at
torney general.
of the curious features of the coal situation in Utah
change of basis the part of the independent coal
ducers the They have been camorng for years for
coal and wanted it shaded fifty cents There
was nsisent yOw about just before the election But
the in the price of COAL nothing further has
been heard about the matter And for excellent
1t viii be observed a matter of curious interest that
independent coal companies have also raised the price of
coal the mines The railroads, who practically all
the producing companies, enabled hem by going into the
combination raise the price fifty cents ton The indie
pendent companies now get their fifty cents which they COM
planned about and the railroads do not get any less
freight rates.
Who pays this fifty cents ton? The dear people pay
it. the consumer the who buys his coal for his furnace
his stove And have you noticed how satisfied the ndepend
ent producer s He the smile that won't come off, and
he is peevsh when asked about the situation that he de
cnes to give civil to questions about it. The word
ndependen when used in the of coal company in
Utah is enough to make laugh himself to death.
Even the consumer who pays fifty cents more ton for
his coal can the okethe who pays higher
rate so that the retail dealers make their profit of $3.50
ton on their storage COAL the producer get his share
when the storage is all Sold and the independent pro
ducer can get their fifty cents back freight rates 1t
lovely combination, isn't it, And the laws of Utah
ainv stringent enough the matter to punish every
poration that is concerned in it.