The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-08
MUNICIPAL
COAL YARD IS
LATEST SCHEME
Supply Could Be Bought in
Summer at Low Price, Com
mittee Points Out
CHARTER AMENDMENT
NECESSARY FOR PLAN
Might Be Made Effective at
Once With Backing of
Private Capital

A municipality owned and conducted
coal yaru. where coal may be stored
in large quantities when prices are
low and sold in the winter months 10
consumers was recommended in the
report to the council. Tuesday night.
OF the special committee appointed
last October. to investigate the al
legged shortage of coal and high prices.
Before this recommendation could be
carried into effect, a charter amend
ment would be necessary and the com
mittee asked the council Co have such
a clause provided in the new charter.
In the meantime, the committee sug-
gests that a coal yard could be con-
Quoted along such lines by public spir-
tied men who have already offered to
support such a project. Ii Is prob
able. however. that this will not be
undertaken this winter The price OF
coal now Is no less than when the
committee began its investigation.
but It Is no higher, and members OF
the committee take credit for having
scared" the coal dealers and pre-.
vented them from putting into effect
proposed increase on the ground
that there was famine In fuel
The committee found that hard coal
could be bought in the summer in Buff
falo for $3.50 a ton, and shipped TO
Detroit by boat for 85 cents a ton, or
by rail for 81 q ton. The coal could
be sold for from 81 to So, the report
says. Hard coal now sells at retail
for So a ton. a charge of 20 cents be
ing made for putting the coal into the
basement.
The report speaks of the commit.
tees investigation in Windsor and OF
the work OF Detectives High and Coco,
when complaints became too number.
GUS for the committee TO personally
investigate them.
In one OF the yards visited, where
the detectives had returned the fol
lowing day TO complete some unfiE
ished work, they were surprised to
find the yards empty" says the report
Upon inquiry they were Informed
that 200 cars OF coal had been moved
from that yard during the night. the
largest amount that had ever been
moved in that length Of time in tho
history OF the yard.
L
tons OF hard coal was found In a pile
on the ground. Upon Oct. 20 one deal
er in this city received from Buffalo
by boat. 100 tons OF hard coal. Thil
was the third boat load he had pro
cured during the fall, and 1t was esti
mated that he had on hand over 400;
tons from these three shipments. HI
was not Offering this coal for sale a
any price, but stated he expected Il
get $12 ton for IL before spring.
Lieut.. High and Sergt. Good thcI
made trip to London, Ont, via Sar
MIA and Port Huron. and found Z
large quantity OF hard coal. which
had been held on the Grand Trunl
tracks for at least two weeks at Point
Edwards, near Sarnia, the destination
OF which was Detroit Coal at Port
Huron was selling for $3.50 per ton.
Your committee also injured the
price Of coal In various cities in Mich
igan, west and north OF Detroit, and
found 1t selling as low as So per ton
In the upper peninsula, and also rs
far west as Grand Rapids.
During all this time there was con.
siderable diversity OF price among the
Detroit dealers. There was undoubt.
eddy a fear that there would be a
scarcity OF coal. and some OF the
largest dealers refused to take orders
from new customers, combining their
attention TO taking care OF their old
customers without any raise In price.
Some dealers offered coal in any quau.
tity for 1925 per ton, while Others
claimed they could not deliver even at
So Either the mild weather of fall
and winter, or the knowledge that an
investigation was taking place tended
considerably toward allaying their
fears and resulted in bringing out a