New Britain herald., 1917-11-23


 dealer would lose $1.31. We have a 1 fair picture of it being done. As we have often remarked, we are waiting 1 for the coal dealers to go out of busi- ness because of their terrible losses. 1 As yet, there have been no bank rupts.
 To get back to those figures. As stunning that they arc correct. and that a ton of coal is delivered r. O. B. New Britain for $7.8O and must be sold for $10.96, we have the enormous charge of $316 for handling the coal between the time it is taken off the track until it Is delivered in the con- sumer's bin. At the hearings before the Federal Coal Committee in Boston the highest figures advanced for the same operations were slightly less than $2.50, and they were afterwards shown to be all out of proportion
 The coal dealers ask for a six per cent. interest on the money invested in business, which is fair. Yet they. or this particular writer, who seems to speak for all, place forty cents as the amount each ton of coal must reap to make up the six per cent. profit. If the figure had been placed at four cents, not forty, it would have been nearer the mark. An investment of $5.o00 will purchase 1000 tons of coal at the high rate of $5 ton at the mines Selling 75O tons would take care of the interest, $500, and the remaining 25o tons would give clear profit, over and above the six per cent. On the books, however, each ton would be marked off as yielding 40 cents, whereas under such an arrangement each ton would bring in bigger profit.
 For taxes, other than war taxes, the writer specifies eight cents on each state that calls for such an elaborate 1 reckoning.
 Seven cents are allowed for repairs on each ton of coal delivered. A cart would have to break down on every trip to make such an estimate hold water.
 Insurance Is given at four cents,- we will let that stand, although it should not be so high.
 Expenses are placed at IS cents for each ton. How these are derived no one outside of the coal dealers would presume to know.
 Losses are placed at six cents,- losses of what?
 Supervision, bookkeeping and col ] lecting are listed together as costing 1 forty cents on each ton. Since there l is no collecting to be done in the old fashioned way, since coal will not be delivered except for spot cash, one of l these items should be stricken out, and 1 then it would be found that supervi- sion and bookkeeping could be done for about one-half the estimate given. 1 say twenty cents.
 Unloading from the cars to the bin is an operation that costs twenty cents, under this dealers estimate. In the old days when men were forced to shovel out each ton of coal,-that was before elevated tracks and instantan- eous dumping,-it did not cost this much. Making allowance for in- creased wages, and medieval dumping facilities. the twenty cents a ton may be allowed.
 Screening and bagging are expen- sive operations, when they are per- formed. The dealer figures this work at twenty-three cents a ton. We will i allow twenty five cents for the same 1 work. remembering that only the coal l on the bottom of cars is screened.
 Wear of bags is placed at ten cents. 1 It is figured that a bag will last for l two hundred trips. If it costs $2.00. l which 1t does not, but $1.40, one cent 1 is the proper allowance for this wear and tear on each bag.
 Net shrinkage from screening and l loss in transportation is placed at for ty cents. This despite the fact there ! have already been losses placed at six cents. These two items should be l placed together at least. And then 1 lowered.
 The last item given, carting, is 1 placed at one dollar Of this we wil' 1 have more to say at a later date.
 Having gone through this list of figures we find a great difference be- 1 tween the prices presented by the | dealer and those prepared by the Her