The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-24
Consumers Pay About Same
in This Town as is Paid
Elsewhere
ALWAYS SUPPLY
ON HAND HERE
Shortage at Times in Other Localities
More Buying by Spectators than in
ANY Previous Year - Dealers Forced
Into Open Market.

more Suylng by Spectators than in
ANY Previous Year - Dealers Forced
Into Open Market.
One Of the great joys of the pres
ent period of high cost of living is
hndlng out how much worse off resi-
dents of the home town are than
those Of neighboring towns in the
matter of prices for necessities. Coal
is one of the great necessities when
tho mercury begins to firt with the
zero mark and forgets to move for a
few days and nights at time.
Papers throughout the country have
conducted Investigations and COMPARE
sons Sometimes these brought 10y TO
the hearts of the local readers: other
times they did not. In any event the
coal dealers Of the home city were in
hot water because some town some
where was found where one grade or
size of coal was less than the local
dealer was demanding.
The old theory that cities located n,
tide water had a great advantage in
the matter of rates has been knocked
higher than kite since the war be-
gan. Rates have fuctuated greatly
and sometimes on the slightest appar-
ent reason, but the coal dealer in great
need OF a cargo of coal was obliged to
pay the freight rate demanded at the
time or go without a supply for his
shlverlng customers. 1t is not bevond
reason that a dealer might find a boat
just then without cargo and get his
ctal hauled at very favorable rate
"hlle his next door neighbor in the
same business might be forced a day
later to pay dollar more a ton for
the same haul for his coal. Before the
war 1t was different and seaboard cit
les getting their coal by the water
route generally paid less for coal than
inland places whare coal was hauled
by rail.
But rail rates do not huguate as
nave those on water The difficulty
here and in other inland places has
been IN the non shipment of coal or
dered in the usual course of business
Dealers placed their orders for April
shipments. What coal arrived that
month was paid for at the April prices,
but any of the April order that was
shipped IN May came billed at the
May prices and they were greater.
The same was true through each
month.
The Lehigh companies stopped ship
menis into New England in September.
+. B. Barrows & Co. have received
just two cars of Lehigh coal this win
ter. No reason is given by the opera
tors. The coal simply is not shipped.
Naturally this forced dealers into the
open market to buy coal Mr.. Barrows
handles considerable Delaware & Hud-
son coal and in all has received about
500 tons of the CRATE size at early
prices and this has been sold for $3.50
a ton Another car will be here in a
day or two and it has been disposed of
at the same price. Because he was able
to buy that at low figure Mr.. Bar
rows has not raised the price of it.
Prices for the other domestic sizes,
egg, stove and chestnut have been
fixed at 81 ton since October 2s.
Mr.. Barrows says that the minute he
succeeds in getting deliveries of D.
1
The prices paid here for coal COM
pare favorably with those paid else
where. Bellows Falls has a price of
$ll for stove and chestnut and slo.75
for egg. Stove and chestnut in Keene
cost $l1 and egg SO. In New Lon
don coal is scarce and selling at Gil.
In Gardner, Mass, all sizes are s12 a
ton, while Greenfield, Mass. has a
cash price of SO.
Mr.. Barrows is proud Of the fact
that where many towns and cities have
found the supply of coal insufficient
at times for the demands upon the
dealers, he has been able at all times
to keep supply on hand He says
frankly he has lost money on some
orders he took during the summer, but
has filed them as fast as possible.
Likewise he says that some coal bought
in the summer at better prices than
it can be bought for now has been
sold at the higher figure and helped
| to balance the books
There has been more buyinp by
spectators than in any previous year
with the possible exception of the coal
strike, and the spectators have kept
the price up, but the small dealers
have been forced to buy of them and
to raise retail prices accordingly.
There is no question but many Of
the miners havs left that employment
for equally dangerous, but more reniun.
orative, work in the munitions facto.
ries and that all Of the mines have
been underworked for many months.