Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-11-02
COAL SITUATION
FROM ALL ANGLES.
-----! s.
Consumer, Dealer, Producer, Rail-
road and Other Affected
Interests Talk.
INVESTIGATION is PROMISED
Commercial Club Traffic Bureau May
Take Action to Secure Redress
For the Public.

Investigate the coal situation. The local
dealers, who have been compelled to
stand the blunt of the attack when or
ders have been gwen and the new price
quoted at S6.25 IL ton, or $40 a Ton
wheeled or sacked. complain to their
customers that they are not TO blame.
The responsibility for the last raise
the dealers shift on the shoulders OF the
Goa, mining companies. Several OF. them
admit, however. that their clear pro-
hts are about 81 per ton, which IN
yeur amounts to s2.555.00o, the aver
age daily consumption OF coal IN SAT-
Lake being about 1000 tons. The local
dealers pay sa.75 q ton for coal at the
mine, the railroad charges Sl.1o ION
for freight. and hauling costsi5 cents
ton a total of sos. For their trouble
in simply handling the coal the local
dealers believe that this Is about inc
right profit for them, making the corr
sumer pay for the hauling Or sackins
or wheeling as the case may DC, lioi'i
the yard to the bin
II. G. WILLIAMS EXPLAINS.
Since the local coal dealers declare
that the mine operators are respoh-
siblo for the raise, Fl. G. Williams.
general manager of the Utah fuel
company. has been appealed 10 TOT IN
planation. When he was seen TINS
morning, he said: THE increase came
as a result of general increase IN
tho wages of miners and haulers and
shovelers at the mines. ] cannot say
exactly what the increase IN wages
amounts TO but 1t Will consume the
raise made in the price OF coal AT inc
mine.
'"rhere is ono thing which ! want to
impress upon the minds of the people.
1t is the fact that the wages have been
Increased three times at the mine since
there was n raise In the price of coal.
The coal miners In the Utah Fuel
companys mines receive from gu 70
I3 cents ton for COAL. which Is
much higher than last year. The wages
depend upon the nature of the coal.
the thickness of the vein ana some
other mining conditions,
Another thing to be remembered Is
that tho lump coal, on which this raise
has been made. only constitutes about
Is per cent of the output Ut the mines
About 40 per cent is slack and there
has been only a 10 cent raise per ton
on tho mine run. G#. a
1.-THE price of coal at the mines IN
gUtal, IS not rs high as it is IN Wye
ming or Colorado. The same grade of
coal in Colorado that costs s2.l5 here
costs $3.50 there. Wyoming coal Is
% cents and so cents higher than Utah
coal per ton at the mine"
THE WYOMING SITUATION.
Union Pacific Coal company, which
owns and controls the output Of most
or the wyoming mines. could not be
found IN his office yesterday, Since
the raise in the price OF coal. his Of
fec has been closed most of the time.
according to the ianitor in the Judge
building and Mr. Ritter is reported as
helng out of the city @
u. f. Emmert. the general manager
of the Central Coal and Coke company.
which Is supposed to be All independent
company with its own mines at Rock
Springs. Wyo., was asked for an inter-
view this morning. Mr.. Emmcrt seated
in his swivel chair with his feet on his
desk simply took a firmer hold on his
long black cigar, swallowed hastily,
pulled his stiff hat little lower over
his eyes and shook his head, II have
nothing to say he remarked
Several prominent coal handlers and
independent operators were free to ex-
press their opinions, but did not want
their names used. The former censured
the producers for holding back notice OF
the lTltilueu Idise uHtlI just II uhy VI
two before II took effect The latter
held the raise was justiliablc. ms 1t costs
now 65 cents to produce run of the mine
coal where a. few years ago the cost
was but So cents. Both agreed that a
serious drawback to securing coal from
Utah mines was the utter lack OF cars,
az we'll as motive power.
RAILROAD SITUATION.
One dealer said he had been informed
that the Rio Grande could not avail
itself OF Western Pacific locomotives. as
might be desired. because OF contracts
between the road and the locomotive
manufacturers. which. 1t is claimed, did
not release the engines for service until
a specified amount of construction had
been accomplished. Anyhow the ques-
ton OF carriage of coal had become IL
serious proposition. Then, In operating
circles It is claimed that a market can
be readily found outside Of Utah for all
the coal that can be furnished, and
leave Salt Lake out entirely. VI
Manager Babcock of the traffic
bureau remarked this morning, that 1t
Is up to the public whether they will
stand the imposition inflicted on them
by the coal operators. Said he; "We
have a legislature which could if 1t
would. institute a railroad commission
competent to handle the situation
When the Rio Grandc Western was IN
operation. remember that run OF the
mine coal cost less than 50 cents par
ton loaded on tho cars at the mine
This was hauled to Ogden and sold to
the Southern Pacific at Sl.75 per ton,
the Rio Grandc receiving rs cents for
transportation. There is no lust or
valid excuse for this last raise on the
pnrt of tho Utah Fuel company But
then, when YOU come right down to it.
the railroads own the coal companies
The Utah Fuel is capitalized for 10
millions. and this is controlled by the
Rim Grande, Tho Union Pacific rail-
road owns the Union Pacific Coal com
pnny IN the same why. n consumers
VIII get up and do something, remedial
measures may be worked through tho
legislature; but If they alt still and
swallow the dose. why, they will pay
Sc. 20 per ton, md that Is the end of II ~
When asked " the bureau or the
Commercial club were likely to take ac-
ton. Mr.. Babcock said they might, but
Just at present he could not make any
definite statement. At tho same time
he called attention to the bulletin put
out last May by the traffic bureau,
presenting for popular consideration d
schedule OF maximum rates for the
transportation of coal in carloads
within the state, believed to be lust
and reasonable to the consumers and
tho railroads, when handled With mod
ern equipment and under approved n
methods OF Transportation Fpr 10 miles