Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-05
MORE ABOUT COAL
.he Edifot 81 the Tclrgrabh !:

To the Editor of tie Telegraph:
May I call your attention to a few
facts regarding the local coal situa-
ton that seem to have escaped the
various fuel administrators" Fed
eral, state and county. who have
been telling the long suffering public
through the public press that there
is no coal shortage in Harrisburg"
About week ago the writer heard
a Few of his neighbors discussing
their inability to obtain coal and de-
cided to try to lay In a few tons for
his own use. 1, like hundreds of 9TH
er readers of the daily papers, had
been believing the reassuring dec
laration of the college professor fuel
administrator and was of the opin-
ion that coal could be purchased at q
fair price and in adequate amounts.
My first awakening was when l
called upon my regular dealer and
found that he had not for a week
had a single grain of anything but
soft" coal in his bins. The next
dealer was in the same boat so l
naturally turned to the big company
in this city that has been mailing
me frequent circular letters urging
me to try their fine ice, apples and
coal. This firm courteously, yet tlrm-
ly, declined to take my order for
even a quarter-ton on any terms.
To-day, 1 am informed by man
in my office that this same firm is
circumventing the coal administra-
ton by selling coal only in quarter
ton lots and then charging for it at
the rate of $40 the ton-for the nut
size.
You, of course, realize that 1t is the
small wage-earner who must buy
coal in quarter-ton lots and that he
is the man least able to be gouged
in this fashion. And now this firm
tries to gouge the other purchasers
by limiting sales to those small loads
and charging at the exorbitant rate.
After calling on the three dealers
mentioned, l was told by a newspa-
per reporter who had been inter-
viewing the various dealers for one
of the local newspapers that 1 could
get plenty of coal from a Chestnut
street dealer. So i called upon this
man and was blandly informed that
If l paid in advance for two and a
half tons at the rate of $S.75 per
ton, he would condescend to deliver
my coal sometime" After much
diplomacy and by insisting that I
had not days supply of coal in my
cellar and needed fuel urgently on
account of q small baby in the fam
lily, this dealer, with about as much
condescension as O. bandit who finds
he has waylaid a penniless lumber
man instead of an express messenger,
agreed to deliver my coal before Sat
urday evening. That was last We'd
nesday. l have not yet received 1t.
1 am now keeping my house warm by
borrowing fuel from n neighbor.
Indignant at sucn treatment /
To 20 AIn cto 10
fuel administrators and to-day 1 am
informed by the former that he has
referred my letter to the latter and
by the state administrator that my
letter to him has been referred to
the Dauphin county administrator.
While my letters are slowly finding
their way through the labyrinth of
official red tape there will be plenty
of time for thousands to freeze. And
my letter is only one.
Your readers may also be inter
ested in knowing that while local
dealers are forcing Harrisburg work
ingmen to pay at the rate OF $40 per
ton for nut coal, that Philadelphia
consumers-100 miles farther away
from the mines. are buying the same
grade fuel at the rate of $40 per
ton.
Our government is calling upon
every man to do his bit in this Bit
ter struggle. Every ounce of our
strength is centered upon defeat
ing the Hun who would invade de-
fenseless homes. Is 1t possible that
our Presidents officially designated
fuel administrator will permit con-
ditions to exist that in time surely
will create internal discord Just
now this may seem a trivial affair.
but you know many strong healthy
man his died from a tiny scratch
of the skin that was believed 20 be
unworthy of attention.
COAL BURNER.