New-York tribune., 1918-03-01
Pedlers Blamed
By Officials for
High Coal Prices
Cellar Dealers Should Be
Abolished, Aldermen
Are Advised

Harry 7. Peters, chairman OF the
State Federal Fuel Conservation Com
mittee, and Reeve Schley, Federal Fuel
Admin strator for New York County,
in testifying yesterday before the spe-
cial committee of the Board Of Alder
men, which is Investigating the coal
situation in the city, placed the respon
sibility for the excessive prices of coal
in small quantities squarely on the
pedlers and cellar dealers, and advo-
Gated city ordinance which would
hold these dealers TO strict accounta-
bility, They declared that these deal
ers had been the sorest spot in the
whole coal situation this winter.
The business Of the yard dealers,
they believed. was sufficiently regu-
lated by the Federal fuel administra
ton to insure fair dealing on their
part. In their opinion the yard deal
ers We're honest, and had done the
best they could under trying circum-
stances. Mr.. Peters characterized the
cellar man system as "rotten" and
"senseless," and said it finally must
be abandoned.
Central Plant the Solution
"The solution," he said, "s a central
plant where the people can go, drop a
nickle iii the slot and tip it out"
But the witness cautioned the city
rot to 90 into the coal business on
large scale. He declared that it
couldn't be done. To store the coal
needed would make a pile too large to
contemplate, as one days supply would
fill four square blocks.> To handle the
general coal business the city should
do 100 per cent of the business or
none, he said.
The witness declared that the whole
coal might be solved as an economic
and lighting plants. A ton of coal
burned in such plant, he said, was
equal, so far as the amount of heat
generated was concerned, to five tons
burned in a private house. But the
public was responsible for the present
system, he pointed out, and until the
public wanted it changed, it would not
be changed.
Many Complaints Groundless
Mr. Schley was the first witness. and
he explained the methods the fuel adj
ministration had employed toward the
relief of the coal stress. He said that
his office had been flooded with COM
plants from consumers Of inability to
get coal ard excessive charges. In the
case of the yard dealers investigation
had shown that fhc complaints of ex-
cessive charges had been unfoundcd.
The case of the pedlers was another
matter.
He declared that the first thought
Of the fuel administrators had been
for the people who could not store
coal For this purpose, he said, $4,000
tons a week had been set aside for the
pcdler trade and the dealers had been
obliged to supply the pedlers with the
total amount of this kind of coal re-
ccivcd. The dealers were told to sup
ply coal only to pedler dealers who
were accustomed to trade with them
regularly. This was for the purpose
Of nsuring an even distribution.
The average price Of coal, he said in
answer to g question, was $8.25 to 50
ton delivered on the sidewalk The
pedler dealers bought their coal at rs
cents under the sidewalk price, he said
When he was asked how the price per
ton was fixed by the yard dealers he
said that they were allowed $3.50 gross
profits per ton above the price of the
coal delivered ut their docks.