Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-31
COAL EXCHANGES
WORK FOR PUBLIC
Its President Defends 1t Against
Recent Crit
cisms
By JOHN E. LLOYD


| President Of the Philadelphia Coal Exchange
THE Philadelphia Coal Exchange las
come in for a good deal of criticism
lately being accused Of fixing prices and
other charges Just as unreasonable, and no
| doubt majority of the Philadelphia public
believe the facts are as stated. This most
certainly is not the case, and never has
| been.
| The exchange was organized i'm the inter-
| ests, naturally Of the retail coal dealers
| but their interests were in many WAYS ,us
| interests of the consuming public A few
years ago II was not an unusual thing for
| some of the retail yards to deliver a short
TOM In other words, instead of delivering
ton OF 2240 pounds, as little as 1900 10
lSOO pounds would be sold as a ton and vet
the public continued to buy from these
dealers and could not understand why thew
could sell coal for SO much less than their
competitors.
The Philadelphia Coal Exchange has nut
a stop to this, at least among its own
members as it employs weighmaster
whose busin9ss It is to do nothing but
weigh the wagons of the members OF the
exchange. He is continually on the street
and no dealer knows when he may have his
wagon weighed. The exchange has em-
ployed this man since October 1912 lony
before the Department of Weights and
measures was authorized. The reports or
the weighmaster are made in writing TO the
executive committee of the Coal EXCHANGE
Ihe penalty imposed is optional with IL
executive committee; on the first offense
letter is written by the secretary Of tbe
exchange to the member at fault If the
fault should continue the member is frad
ana thls does not remedy the evil the
executive committee reports the case 10 tba
BOARD or directors, which has the nowor
10 expel the offending member.
Has Rendered a Service
During the present excessive consunrn-
tlon or coal the exchange has been Wording
Tor the best interests Of PhiladeInbia tr,ts
ing 10 get fair proportion Of the coal that
Is, 10 ,lIneu @ shipped to Philadelphia. Officers
ana committees of the exchange have n,oda
numerous trips to Washington and to tbe
heaus OF the railroads, with the one Object
getting more coal to Philadelphia.
pelieve the Philadelphia Coal F,xcbars.
mas renueTed ana Is today rendering a
great service to the city by obtaining NOT
only normal but an extra supnIv of ooaI
Ihe consumer, whether a househoIdar -,
the owner Of a factory must recogni1a az
fact that more coal Of all kinds has ~,
p1"lT uSeH ana ana more coal has been shipped 10
Philadelphia since January 1. 1917 tbon ~
any previous year Most of This innrn.al ~
mas been in steam sizes and NOT IN o
stove, nut and pea, the sizes used sor |
AaHllly traue.
From this 1t can readily be saer A.
Philadelphia Coal Exchange has heen arS
Is working In the interests Of the nubiio 'N
The retail coal dealer has been s,,btne.,.s |
to a great deal Of criticism lately anS
very unfairly so. II this continues 81 -'r aliii |
DO great injustice to a body Of bps,rsss
men who, In the great majority ~ oasn~
are doing their best to give and are e1,'IUs'
the public square deal
There are many uncertainties I'm tba oo.,
business, and at this particular time tbs "a
tail dealer has many new problems 10 go.
and all we ask is that the public 'as nj
as the press, be patient, and / balis,,. .SH
fuel situation will be worked out 10 tbs sa. .,ie
isfaction of ALL '"e sat'
The gross margin, or gross incop,a =.
ceiVed by the retail dealer has been y,,,oh
discussed OF late, and / would like 30 aei,
attenAon to some matters of vital t,.-
tance to this subject. ''po''
Retailers Problems
The profit a dealer usually naaIea vs,,..
greatly from month 10 month, some month-
showing an actual loss per ton on the ton.
mage handled. When coal yard ls vorl,cs
20 capacity 4 believe Il would he nor.inie
- make a proft on q margin over coat ~ |
coal on car AZ ne rtlAlI Yafd II 1850 It AZ
while ~ ol1tf t|Int1 = uaIN|n 6t IA .||
I1n Nn|'|1 heIf|F n'0rI Ih4n ~ ono htI0.
~. -.