The Washington herald., 1917-11-12

cent. while our sales for the seven
months ending October q show n gain
Of % per cent over the same period
last year. Consumers In these seven
months have received 20 per cent OF
the seasons consumption. This gain
was in the first i've months.
September and October sales show
a loss over last year. due 10 the short-
ried a fun stock the entire month:
whereas. this fan shipments were such
we steadily lost stock from August
on, and by the middle of October
were entirely out Of every size. The
first Of last November our stock vHs
over 5000 tons. this November every
bin was empty.
Carriers supplying Capital
The Reading Company probably
ships 60 per cent of washington's
tonnage while about ten other ship
pers count IT as one of their an
thracite markets. Distribution here
Is through three wholesale yards ana
about l3O retail dealers.
or the eleven shippers TO this mar
ket, at this time, two only are COM
PEELED TO sell at circular. Our firm.
In october. based its circular on an
equal tonnage from its two shippers.
Instead Of this. our shipper at cir
cular gave US % per cent, while the
lnoepedent shipped US 80 per cent OF
our tonnage. This raised the average
cost from 81 l-2 cents, as we had cal-
TO 60 cents per ton above cir
cular. From the first TO the tven-
ueth, on every three out OF I'VE cars
handled our gross margin was but
cents per ton to cover unloading.
weighing, screening and a loss OF Is
10 y cents per ton on screenings. We
were finally compelled TO Issue a new
circular advancing our pricea
II 10 impossible 20 calculate In ad-
vance what proportion of our to- ..
or two shippers viii fu4ElEa. 90
what order. nor when the raiI01
VIII deliver Il The result 10 our elr-
cuiAr. as issued. h q pure gamble.
with no certainty az 10 the average
cost OF our coal for the month II -
a serious problem that confrouts
every dealer. with the Federal Trade
Commission rigidly checking and crit
icising the margin OF prohts every
few months.
Sost hanEe In 30 1enrr-
The average cost and advance OF
the four active domestic tize, for
the past thirty years, in ten-year
periods, is instructive, as Is also
their comparison to this differentiSL
From 1887 TO 1897. the advance was
II Ia cents per ton; from 1891 to
1907. it was ss cents: from 1907 to
1917, the advance in price was
3l.o2 Ia. The total advance IS s2.O4;
or from ESQ to 3L24 Z o. b. cars
mines. This represents an advance
OF 30 per cent or an average Of
per cent per year for the thirty
years. This IS cent dinerentiaL an
additional advance. is 81 per cent of
the total advance for the thirty
years 1t is 20 per cent of the ad-
vance OF the last ten years These
figures, IL nothing else, throw an in
teresting light as to what this dif-
ferential represents.
Under such conditions as now pre-
vail, our customers usually take the
Initiative and request us to allos
the coal until the situation is again
normal This allotment is made
on the basis of their previous years
tonnage, and places every customer
on the same mathematical footing.
This insures that each gets what
he is entitled TO without struggling
or having TO fight for it. The plan
works so smoothly that after we
have placed the allotment list" in
the hands of our weight-master,
the main office seldom hears Of 10
again.
In our case the distribution OF the
coal takes care Of itself. Our prob
lem is 10 get the coal This is the
main problem of every dealer in
Washington. With the retailer pay
ing SSi for hay; oats 81 per bushels'
with corn 81 a barrel. idle equipment
at this time makes this problem with
him a serious one. as well as for the
consumer.
Prospect Not Bright.
This year there are the new con
sumers 10 be cared for. -Four TO nve
thousand vacant houses q year ago
are now rented and call for goo TO
5000 tons Of additional coal.
The government itself is calling for
increased tonnage. and its needs have
preference. The dealer 10 whom the
consumer looks, must wait.
WIN no reserve stock, with urgent
demand for coal in every market.
with the government having pref
erence, with the railroads handling
troops, equipment supplies, with in
creased demand for raw material. for
soft coal, with cars in short supply,
shortage Of motive power. the pos
sibility at any time now OF tie-ups by
billiards. or heavy snow falls. with
labor scarce, with ofices already be-
! sieged, with pressure being brought.
the fireless home. the tender child.
the invalid, with winter scarcely upon
us as yet the outlook for either the
consumer, the retailer, the wholesaler.