The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-08-31
FAR BELOW NORMAL TONNAGE
Only 1000 Tons of Hard Coal Now In
the Bins in Kenosha and Ships are
Slow to Come With Remainder of
10000 Tons Needed.

With railway strike practically
declared for next Monday morning at
six O'Clock Kenosha is especially in
terested on account Of its coal supply.
While dealers are eager to set at rest
rumors of possible coal famine dur
ing the winter and while they are
anxious to reassure the people that
there is no reason to believe that prices
will 60 soaring beyond the reach of
the pocket books of the people, there is
a feeling of anxiety about all Of the
coal offices in the city. The exact
condition of the coal supply of the city
today shows that there is now deliv-
cred to the bins of the various com
panies in the city a total Of not to ex-
ceed seven thousand tons of hard coal
of various sizes. The normal supply
of hard coal for the city of Kenosha
is twenty thousand tons. One company
declares that there is normal supply
of smokeless and mine run coal in the
bins while another states that the sup
ply Of soft coal is very limited
Hard coal is now being sold at rate
of nine dollars a ton in Kenosha and
many orders are being placed for the
winters supply. The possibility of a
,, higher rate being charged is a prob
lem. 1t is not expected that there will
be any reduction in the price.
"The price of coal is going to be
regulated entirely by the freight rates
charged on it, said one of the deal
ers this morning. "We are not anxi-
GUS to have the people all stirred up
over the coal situation. We feel that
we have always secured coal enough to
take care of Kenosha and we expect
to secure enough this year Of course
we are not going to sell any more coal
than the visible supply and any at
tempt to make a run on the coal com
panies with advance orders will be met
with the announcement that people
will have to wait for their coal until
we can get deliveries. There is a.
shortage of lake vessels and a short
age of cars to handle coal. What a
general strike on the railways will do
to this crippled service remains to be
seen. We have tried to anticipate de-
mands of the city by placing our orders
early but in some cases we have not
been able to get deliveries
Another dealer said: 'TWe placed an
order for ten thousand tons of hard
coal and just twenty-f hundred tons
have been delivered to us. We antici-
pate that tfe> rest will be delivered
but it is impossible to get half enough
ears to handle the coal right now.
How conditions will be later it is i'm
possible to state. Z"
All of the dealers were agreed that
there would be no concerted action TO
make abnormal increases in the price
to be charged Kenosha people for coal
They insisted that there would be no
increases which were not entirely JUS
titled by the freight rates and the diff
ficulties in securing deliveries. Coal is
higher this year than it was at the
corresponding time of last wear. but
the price in Kenosha is lower than
is being charged in many cities for
immediate deliveries.
Many of the big factories have ex-
perienced some trouble securing deliv-
cries of coal, but most of these com
panies have contracts for coal which
will not expfe for many months and
their supply will be effected only by
the scarcity of cars. There is lust as
much coal in the country as ever be-
fore and the shortage, if there is a
shortage, will be due to the strike trou-
bles of the railways and the use of
lake carriers for other cargoes.