The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-15
NO DROP IN COAL
Local Dealers Say There Is
No Chance.
Are Not Able to See Price Re-
I ductiOn Soon.
ONLY FEW DAYS. SUPPLY HERE
Less Coal Now Than Amy Time
Last Year.
In East Prices Are Much
Higher, Says Dealer.
ONLY FEW DAYS. SUPPLY HERE

AAA6 HUI ga . OC0lCIs
Local retail dealers in coal are not
able to see eye to eye with E. 1.
Knickerbocker sales manager of the
Central Coal and Coke company of
Kansas City, Mo-, who testified We'd
nesday before the Kansas court of
Industrial relations that there should
be drop in the price of coal in
Kansas in the future and in the near
future at that.
There is absolutely no chance of
a drop" said H. L. Peppmeyer of
the Topeka Coal company this morn
ing. And it is wrong to let the
people eat up this stuff about a drop.
The testimony itself. that if we
were getting the prices which they
are getting in the east, we would be
getting SIS ton for the coal which
we are actually selling for $l1.25,
SHOWS that we have not been profiteer-
ing SO far in Topeka"
Supply Is Short.
Peppmeyer wanted to bet the re-
porter who talked to him. that there
was less coal stored in the Easements
OF individual consumers now than
there was at this time last year.
Mrs. c. Majors Croft, Topeka man.
N-Od Il
company, a company which extends
its activities into the operating field
as well as distribution, said that no
information in the hands of the COM
pany indicated that there would be
any drop in prices or any increase in
production, within the next six
months
Another local dealer said that Dos
sibly, If the car shortage situation
were relieved there would be a drop
in prices eventually, but nothing very
close.
The car shortage which has cut
oown production at the mines is
blamed by several local dealers for the
scarcity of coal, and also for the high
price of that which is on the market
today. They point out that the over
head OF the operators must be divided
fewer tons of coal mined, the higher
will be the rate on those tons.
One dealer blamed the car shortage
for the labor troubles in the first place
because it cut down production and
consequently the pay of the miners,
who promptly struck for higher wages
per ton. and the strikes resulted in
general labor unrest.
Is Not Selling Coal
Local dealers are inclined to place
less value on the testimony of Knick-
erbocker because of the fact that the
Central Coal & Coke company is not
now selling coal, and has not been for
many months. For more than a year
their fields in southern Kansas have
been tied up on account of strikes.
Its easy enough to set low price
on something which, you haven't got to
SELL" said one dealer today.
Topeka faces really serious coal
dealers declare. One dealer said that
there were more advance orders for
this winters coal. filed with him by
customers who wanted to avoid the
rush this winter. but that owing to
the transportation difficulties of the
approximately 65 per cent of the or
ders which had been filled at this time
last year.
Dealers estimated that there are from
"a to Sc hours reserve coal stored in
Topeka today, and that it is impossible
to build up a greater reserve for cold
weather than now exists, because the
supply will not meet the demand now.
'Tf the normal amount of cars
rather. all the cars which are wanted
could be supplied right now. the OPP
orators couldn't catch up with the de-
comes" declared one dealer. The
same dealer saws that he has about
caught up with his August orders. and
that he has been for the past thirty
DAYS or more Splitting orders In or
der to distribute the coal which he is
able to secure among greater num-
Der of consumers.
Some Bought This Summer.
"Come down to the office and stay
an hour when the first cold spell
comes" said Mrs. Croft. land you'll
see whether there is any reserve in the
city or not. That is when the man
who hasn't been able to buy more than
a ton of coal at a time is going to need
fuel. Some of the wise ones with
money enough to Law in coal for the
winter have got it. But a great many
of the Santa Fe employees waited to
get their coal until their checks for
hack nav came this fall And then it
was too late"
Mr.. Peppmeyer and Mrs. Croft
charged that articles which had been
published in the newspapers saying
THAT there was going to be plenty
of coal in November, and limiting that
prices were going to come down." had
prevented the public from laying in
coal at the time when they should
have done so.
If the price of coal does come down.
and If there is plenty of coal in To-
peka this winter, it will be contrary to
the expectations of the local dealers
as expressed today.
One thing which has complicated the
coal situation is the fact that all over
the country, industrial plants which
have been running on fuel oil have
been compelled to go back to coal.
Several Topeka firms. it was said, are
on the market for coal because the
price of the fuel oil has become pro-
hibitive. These firms. one dealer said,
could afford to pay SIS a ton rather