The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-20
RAILWAYS HELP
FUEL CONCERNS
Thirty-Fiye Cents Reduction at
Mines. and Is Cents in the
Freight Rate.
LOWER CHARGE WILL GO
INTO EFFECT At ONCE
Railroad Companies File Their
Answers to the Notification
of Secretary Tingey.

Beginning Immediately, the price Of
coal in Salt Lake will be s5.75 ton
instead of S62J, the price that has
prevailed during recent months. The
campaign inaugurated and pressed to
conclusion with commendable speed by
the Commercial club, which campaign
was started by The Tribune. has borne
fruit. with tho result that saving Of
80 cents ton will be effected from
this time forward.
Official announcement Of the reduc-
ton, il is said, will be made by the
coal companies today (Tuesdayl The
reduction of so cents is brought about
by Il decrease in the price of coal at
the mine OF 50 cents and decrease IN
the transportation rate of Is cents.
Through the conservative, yet Wig
orous, action of the Commercial club
this result has been brought about.
When the price of coal was advanced
on November | and The Tribune de
nouuccd the advance as uncalled for
and as robbery, the Commercial club
received large number of appeals, by
letter and by telephone, asking if some
thing could not be done about the coal
situation. Then began series of ne
gotiations which has ended in the re-
duction of the price of coal.
Dern Started Inquiry.
The question of prices for coal was
first brought to the notice of the board
of governors of the Commercial club
At meeting on November > by John
Dern. After discussing the matter in
formally. it was decided to invite
number Of coal dealers to meet with
the board week later. or on Novem
Der g. While invitations were sent to
all of the dealers, c. n. Strevell of the
Independent Coal g. Coke company was
the only one who responded to the ~
vitatiou. Later it was learned that
most Of the officials Of the other com
pauies had been absent from the city.
Mr.. Strevell told the board that it
would he inadvisable for his company
10 reduce the price OF coal at the time.
stating that his company did most of
its business in Idaho and Nevada. and
that. by reason of lack of railroad ia
cilities, such car supply, his company
was not enabled to enter the Salt Lake
field as extensively as it had entered
other fields.
Retailers Decline to Cut.
Thereafter the hustle incident 10 the
moving of the Commercial club pre-
hpk
on December > another meeting was
held in the new club building, While
the meeting of the board of governors
was in progress there was In session
also a meeting of coal dealers. The
governors sent to the meeting OF deal
ers committee with this proposition;
II the Commercial club undertook to
bring reduction Of 90 cents IN the
producers price at the mines. and
reduction of % cents in freight charges,
would the dealers also reduce the price
25 cents7 Tho dealers replied to this
proposition in the negative, saying that
their margin of profit was too small
to permit of the cut.
Special Committee Named.
Thereupon the board Of governors
appointed special committee to confer
with the railroad and coal companies.
This committee was composed of JOY
H. Johnson, president OF the CONNER
cial club; Joseph f. Caine, secretary
of the club; Mayor John S. Rransford,
II. Vance Lane, A. ". Carlson, George
T. Odell and w. j. Halloran,
This committee waited upon E. NJ.
Allison, Jr.. counsel for the Rio Grande
Railroad company and the Utah Fuel
company. The question was presented
to Mr.. Allison in detail, with the re-
quest that he make proper representa-
tions TO the officials of his companies.
The result was that Mr.. Allison com
municated with the officials at Denver,
who are directly superior, aud they,
in turn. communicated with e. T. JEFF
frey, the president of the concerns in
Continued on Page Two.