The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-01
HOW NOT TO GET CHEAP COAL.

The Tribune yesterday morning had
an interview with Mr. p. j. Quealy Of
Kemmerer, Wyoming, who is identified
with the heavy coal interests there.
and who naturally takes the coal com
binc view of the protest making here
against the arbitrary and unjustihablc
raise in coal. That raise was made
simply because tho combine feels itself
unassailabIe, and that the people are
helpless to object or resist. Tho power
Of the combine has been clinched by the
Administration S withdrawal of coal
lands from entry, so that now the coal
combine has everything its own way,
and no one can get any coal save the
combine,
Mr.. Quealy's proposition to have
the people buy coal in the months from
April TO July as q means Of relief. and
as a means of getting cheap coal, is
largely impracticable for many reasons,
First, there is no particular decrease in
the price Of coal in those months,
twenty-five cents ton, or perhaps fifty
cents ton, is all that could be hoped
for, and that hardly makes it worth
while as 4 money proposition, for there
are many causes operating against the
investment of money in this way by
those who need coal. A good many
people do not have the money TO spare
to buy their year S coal at that time,
or at any enc time. A good many
others, especially those who rent houses
they live in, arc not sure that they will
continue living for The year in that
house, This inability to be sure arises
not alone from the uncertainty of them
selves, but because the landlord may
want the housed himself or may raise the
rent so as TO drive them out, Then, il
seldom happens that ON any premises,
especially any rented premises, there is
coal storage capacity enough to store
sufficient coal to carry the household
through the year. Then there is an
idea that has more or less prevalence,
a d certainly Justly so with regard to
some Goals, that coal dctcrioratcs on
being purchased and stored, especially |
lis comparatively small quantities, say
enough 10 last an ordinary household !
for year, but still small as compared
with the tonnage for storage that a big
coal company could provide.
These considerations make Mr.. !
Quealy'S suggested means for getting /
cheap coal rather a mockery than a !
help. II is all very well for those who |
own their own premises, who have
abundant storage capacity for coal, and
who are SO t1ed that they can pay
year S coal bill in Il lump and at one
time as well as another; but that does .
moi happen to be the case with the .
most OF the population, nor with those
who buy the most Of the coal. So that
Mr. Quealy. while probably not intend
Ing any ding at the people of Salt
Lake, certainly does them an injustice
where he speaks Of them as kjckers,
and be is rather retaliatory than other
wise on '',he kickcrs' when be sug
gests remedies that arc out Of the aues.
tion for the most.
The plain truth OF it is that the com.
bine. without Just cause and without
considering the people at all. but only
ITS own interests. made AN uniustih.
able raise of nifty cents ton for
lump coal on the first Of November. The
Tribune Immediately objected 10 that
raise. precisely as IT has objected TO
other raises in the past. Four wears ago
The Tribune WIS fighting the raise in
coal precisely as IT is fighting the pres
ent raise. The raise at that time was
without justification. Just AS the raise
now Is without Justification. The same
remedy that Is proposed by Mr.. Qucaly,
Of storing coal, was proposed -hen in bc.
half of the coal combines. IL was