Evening journal., 1914-08-21
URGES BUYING OF
coal IN SUMNER
Uniform Buying VIII Mean
Uniform Prices, One
Dealer Says
DISTRIBUTE SUPPLY
THROUGH THE YEAR


consumer reduce his coal bill? Com
trary to public opinion there is really
an answer to this question. But il
is an answer which must be put into
practice not by one individual con-
sumer, nor merely by several con-
sumers but by the great majority Of
consumers. Stated in four words, the
answer is this-"Keep the coal NOV
ing"
This was the main point made by
a member of a large Boston coal firm
when questioned as 10 how con-
sumers might help to keep down the
cost of coal. Preliminary to giving
this answer. however, the dealer
spoke with conviction about what he
considers an erroneous impression
that is prevalent throughout the
United States in regard to the price
of coal in general.
People seem to thing" he said,
that coal dealers make a habit Of
getting rich at the expense Of the
public, that coal costs a great deal
more than it ought TO cost, and that
the price has risen in recent years
far more than was necessary. The
fact is, I don't know a coal dealer
in a single community who is a
wealthy man. Moreover, statistics
for the last ten years or so show than
in a list of more than thirty neces-
sary commodities, anthracite coal has
had lower percentage of increase in
price than anything else, except salt,
molasses and peanuts.
"Yet people are always talking
about the high price OF coal. Il is
true that coal used to sell for much
less than it does today. but in those
days coal companies were always on
the verge of bankruptcy. Today, as
! have said, the price Of coal is rela-
lively less than that OF dozens of
other necessities. if you compare pre-
sent prices with those of some years
ago.
"The coal bill often Is the largest
bill which a man gets during the
year. If his bill for clothes was pre-
sented all at one time he might be
amazed at that too. But the cost of
clothes is distributed through the
/ year and thus does not so startle him.
The truth is that consumers pay for
their coal just a little bit more than
cost. do not know OF any dealer
who averages a profit OF so cents on a
ton. and am sure almost any dealer
would be perfectly satisfied If he
could count on a profit of only 25
cents a ton right along But TO hear
scme people talk you would think
the dealers we're making enormous
profits.
prices remain high because the
| consumers do not keep the coal NOV
ing. Uniform production and uni
form distribution right through th'
year would solve the problem Of how
20 lower the price of coal II Goa
could be sold in about the same guam
titles every month. instead OF being
sold in large quantities IN the wintei
and small quantities in the summer
this arrangement would keep thu
price down.
Dealers try to encourage their Gus
toners to buy in the summer by
dropping the price so cents on a tor
the first of April. But for severa
reasons consumers do not respond e
their opportunity Either from lacl
of inclination, lack of funds or lacl
of room they wait till winter comeI
and prices have gone up again"
you will find in many cases tha
customers do not take advantage o
the storage facilities they have
Others could easily provide such faci
lities and get their coal in durini
the spring or summer II woulC
never do, of course. for every one ts
buy all his coal before winter Tha
would be going to the other extreme
But what the dealers and owners
OF mines would like to see is a uni
form sale right through the year AnC
I think this could readily be brough
about II all the people who can bu,
at some other time than the winte
would do so. That would still leavl
enough buyers for the fall and winte
months. And a uniform sale woul,
mean a uniform price, and more thar
that, a lower price than is possible
now
Why would it mean a lowe
price?"
Because uniform sales woul,
mean a great decrease IN expenditur
for mine owners and wholesale an,
retail dealers; consequently the
could afford to sell coal for less thai
they do. Under present conditions
dealer has a long period when he /
Cnot kept busy. His horses are idle
but they have to be housed and fe
just the same. His rent goes or
his taxes are not decreased, nor ca
he undertake to decrease them b
building storage room for coal. Blu
production is going on and the Goa
has To he gtorpd counpwharo