The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-11-23
COAL PRICES TOO
Low FOR PROFIT
DEALERS ASSERT.
Must Pay $2.S5 Per Ton for
Fuel at the Illinois
Mines.
MAKE ONLY 60 CENTS
PROFIT ON THE TON
Dealers File Reports With County
Fuel Administrator Showing
Earnings.

A report filed by the officers o
the Energy Coal Co. of this city with
Col. L. b. Houcll, county fuel admins
TRAITOR, shows that the prices charged
at the mines and that the charges fol
hauling and unloading fuel after leav-
ing the mines, have increased to such
an extent that the figures furnished
the fuel administrator hardly allow
what the dealers term fair profit.
According to the figures furnished
The Tribune by Col. Houck the price
of coal at the mines averages $2.4O
q ton while the officers Of the Energy
Coal Co. insist that their price ranges
from S265 to $3.50 ton. They con-
tend that in addition to the $2.65, the
actual price for fuel at the mines,
they are forced to pay a jobber's fee
of Is cents per ton before the ship
ment can leave the mines.
With the freight, amounting to 80
cents ton from the mines to the
city, their actual cost of coal per ton
is exactly s3.70. The cost of unloading
and hauling combined with the
amount of depreciation during the
time the coal leaves the car until it
reaches the consumers house, brings
the total cost of coal per ton up to
$500 The retail price of coal is $3.50,
leaving a profit of go cents per ton,
from which the dealers say, the over
head expenses of the firm, the salar-
les of the employees and the maintten-
ance Of the horses and vehicles must
be betrayed.
A charge of $40 is made at the
mines for the coal as it is taken from
the mines, the dealers said, and after
put through the cleaning process the
price is increased to $2.65 ton. The
screenings, the offal of coal after
being cleaned and freed from rocks
and other foreign substances, is sold
at S215 a ton but the dealers say,
is unfit for domestic use.
Officers Of one coal company of the
city declared last night that they had
operated with loss of 2 cents per
ton during the month Of October and
contend that the profit they made
during the present month was too
small to be called a success in busi-
ness.
All retail coal dealers are required
to furnish a report of their expenses
and prices to the fuel administrator.
This is done in order to fix a reason
able and uniform price for fuel in COM
plance with an order issued by the
national fuel administrator. According
to his ruling all coal dealers must post
a card bearing the prices and expenses
of the company, in the offices so that
the customers may readily see what
profit is derived from the handling of
coal
All dealers must furnish this report
and upon receiving the reports from
all dealers, the fuel administrator will
regulate the price of coal. In that man.
ner, it is said, the government may
prevent exorbitant profits as realized
by many coal dealers since the dec
laration Of war.
Col. Houck vii lalso regulate the
shipment of coal into the city and see
that the consumers are always sup
piled with fuel. In case complaint
is made, he must look after the cause
of the complaint and make a report
to the state fuel administrator and
make an investigation to determine
who bears the responsibility of the
conditions giving cause for the COM
plant.