Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-29
Demands Fair Coal Price

To the Editor o. the Eronin0 Public Ledger
Sir-Wc believe and advance the fol.
lowing reasons for the belief that, II
there would be thorough. honest in'
auiry and investigation followed by
prompt action by the proper government
authority made In the interest and fol
the benefit of the masses, within a
reasonable time in the near future. we
would see remarkably large reduction
In the price of anthracite and bitumi-
nous coal.
It would be a happy condition for the
people to be able to fill up their coal
bins with 81 per ton coal and burn SIS
coal In their kitchen range. At the same
steam and turning the wheels of prog
gress with So per ton bitunsinous coal
a possibility lf concerted action were
demanding 1t of the government NY the
people who employ the officials.
there Ia a hog coal combine that holds
the people by the throat and makes a
profit on coal of at least $3.50, ,000, 900 n
year from the American people on tho
20 per cent of coal output sold for horne
free America has increased within a
few years $50 per cent. Applying this
TO the present Philadelphia prices or
coal Il will show an excess of over Vs.
100000 overcharged on domestic coal to
about $4,000 families in our city, all
lowing five tons per family OF Ave peo-
pie each. This Is according to the state
ment of Fuel Administrator Storrow, OF
Massachusetts,.
The public Is forced to pay about $l4
or more a ton for commodity for the
actual mining Of which the miner gets
siXty-nine cents. No wonder the 'coal
trust prevented by strenuous obJectons
the testimony OF w. Jett Lauck, consult
ing economist for the mine workers.
which was to prove the contention that
the operators and coal speculators were
to blame for the present high price Oh
coal, and that 1t was due to speculatioil
and profiteering and was not due 10 tne
cost of production. The coal commissS
sion fuled against the admission OF
seven important points of his argument,
proving costs, prices and proht OF 'he
hard-coal business
It Is said the testimony of Mr. Lauck
was partly as follows: Tho annual pro-
duction of anthracite coal Is fairy con-
slant from year to year; possibly does
not vary over IL per cent tne ono no'npu, ''t
of coal workers are about lSO'ooo, pu.
l47,000; the Increase in retail price
since 1914 has been three times the IN
crease in labor costs at the mines. FROM
1914 t' December, 1918, the incfeass
in labor cost at the mine was Si'al per
gross ton. while the increase In retail
prices In New York and Boston was re-
spectively $4.37 and $4.4S per gross ton,
Since then there has been littIe or no
increase in labor costs at the mine'
while retail prices have further IN,
average of $240 per gross ton.
We have bought many cars OF pea
coal at $110 per long ton and many
cars OF larger sizes at 81, which, with
$1.7O for larger sizes. made the cost In
the retailers coal yard $3.50 and 1910,
and sold the coal to families at $3.50 for
pea coal and IS for larger sizes. These
prices existed when the coal was ship
ned In Ave to ten-ton cars, not in the
present forty and fifty-ton steel cars:
Since that time they have introduced
modern mining methods with machinery