Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-06
COAL Man FAVOBS
UNIFORM PRICN
Mason Would Make Rail
road and Independent Min'
Charges Identical
SHOWS INCoNSISTENcrp.

An order by the coal adn,,r,.,
pellihg all Independent coal a,'sor ccm..
reduce their prices TO the I.,..I eeon Il
or the ratroad-owned mines ,s required
by John W. NJ lson. president ~ a. iauvocatid
Scholes and the Mason-Henin ae Mason.
companies. retail c,,l
II such an order was issued N, !.
co,ltenuS' the coal administrators a. rasoa
sEiNania could then with Justice renn.|
o,ueI nlpeiilhg all retail coal deslsS ~
chatge not more tn IN $500 ton es =
coal. This price has ALREADY lor pa
nounced by Mr.. Mason's two compsrSn. a..
mas been followed by few othsrs ~
citys 800 retail coal dealers as ,.a, " "
In setting forth his plea thai tbo
sale price of coal should be nadc ,r,, ,e''
as well as the retail price. II Tho osnu'n su,ul''n
is TO reap the benefit of the Coz, sn'of.s' ea.
readjustment Mr.. Mason yesterds, ~
coal dealers "P''a' fetal
one of these dealers. be sa,d
buying one-fourth OF his coal from, MA ,sy y
road companies at $40 and tha w. ..'
three-fourths from the individuai o,.s.aN wv
at S0.45, an average price OF S52i rs.
the freight rate OF S145 from IN. nm|
added to this the cost delivered AZ Aans' ,'ns'
$3.50. Adding the margin Of 81 "a MI W.
able to clear in 1915 and the ao ny, "a
" 'ulS HldTslh now allowed BY fhe ~,
administrators or 81 cents the price ~.
dealer can charge the householder ,S q, y,
The second dealer btyinr an bi. ~
from the railroad companies which y
Nanced their prices in the fall mon,h. J,
1915 while the individual operators y.
their prices at the same level. thus ka..,s.
his 1915 margin down to SI.45. il nor' ~
lowed TO add only 80 per cent OF that -.
gin, or forty-four cents. making hIs ~.
ent permissible margin $Is9. Still hn,,..
all his coal today from the railroad -
panics, and now paying $40 for II Al "a.
mines. with freight rate of sl.45 ~,
or S6l5 at his yards, the price he can u
on ton is only $500. as comma rod ,,,a
the first dealers $500. ''e
THE first dealer. when he nurcba .sa Al.
coal at lesser rate than the second. in \.
case gave tho benefit to the working n,,ss
said Mr.. Mason, and 1t would seen, ~.
Fuel Administrator Garfield IL going TO u,r
NIT him TO charge the poor. needy hons,
holder the added amount that he hn,.,s
must pay the individual operator.
1T would seem thai IL would I've fair n,
the coal administrator. in the interest AZ "A,
consumer to Issue an order at once rsovs
ing the individual operators to reduce tfst.
prices as the ailroad-controlled compsrir
have been obliged to do. II this were s.rs
it would then he fair and just for TIE csa
administrator Of Pennsylvania to issue N
order at once to the coal dealers Of Phila.
delphia to sell pea coal to the housebold.i
at $500; egg coal at 1925, stove coal Tor
$3.50 aud nut coal for $3.50.
"If It were possible for the dealers 10
buy all their coal at the same prices u
charged by the railroad d-owncd companu
there would be no necessity for the dealer
to charge so many different prices. as IN
wholesale price would be the same for all
William Potter coal administrator fsi
Pennsylvania, will take up his new dutii
on Monday, having returned from Washing
ton. where he conferred with National Fus
Administrator Garfield. He has as yet mad
no statement as to the action TO be requirtd
of the clty's retail coal dealers.