Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1920-11-05
Coal Grafters
(By John Bush)

LII CIllS uely VI pei P1CAIi6 PAODASAAAS
and unsettled thought the PROPOSE
tion that is keeping public thought
bobbing like a fishermen's cork in
whirlpool, is the coal situation, and
if not adjusted in the near future the
whole nation will assume a dramat-
ical air. The people will all be shiver
ing like bevy of chorus ladies in
musical comedy doing the shimmey
dance. Last Lords day morning the
temperature was such in number of
the churches that the choir shivered
so that the congregation scarcely
knew whether they were attending
sacred service or a theatrical pro-
duction.
The writer has, for some weeks,
been endeavoring to secure authentic
information regarding the conditions
in the immediate vicinity. The ma
jority of people are not familiar with
all the facts relative to the coal situ-
they cannot get coal at a reasonable
price. It is quite obvious something
is radically wrong when we note the
latest data compiled by the United
States Geological Survey. In the
United States there are approximate
ly 106,000,000 people. In the anthra-
cite district of Pennsylvania the
| figures for the last five years show
the largest number of miners en-
ployed at any one time to be 100000
and the lowest $4,000 They aver
age from 285 to 200 days work a
year and they dig 2.O2 to 2.39 tons of
coal per man per day.
In the bituminous mines, all states
included, the number of miners range
up to 100000, with 243 days work
per year, and an average digging of
3.91 tons per man per day. The
largest number of tons of coal pro-
duced in Ohio in any one year in the
last five years was 46,263,000 net
tons; the least amount was 22,434,691
net tons. The average cost per ton
f. o. b. mine is $3.15, the freight is
$1.40, the hauling to your home $1.00.
At present local dealers are quoting
prices from $1,000 to $14.00 per ton.
Quite a number of people have be-
come disgruntled, being imbued with
the idea that the dealers are endeav-
oring to profteer. This is a misap-
prehension which the writer wishes
to clarity. While it is an undeniable
fact there are men in Newark who
have gone into the coal business for
the express purpose of looting, there
are a number of. old, honest and re-
liable dealers who in the past have
been satisfied with and are yet only
asking q fair profit on money in
vested.
The first fundamental fact as re-
CARDS the present conditions in coal
as we'll as many other necessary pro-
ducts, is the administration is not
functioning in the interest of the
common people. The proof of this
contention lies in the fact that two
of our reliable coal dealers have
spent much time and money to learn
why they could not get coal from the
operators direct from the mine, as
they have in the past. The conditions,
they find, are that the operators, in
order to escape government orders,
claim they have no coal to sell, and
the dealers are referred to some
broker in one of the larger cities.
The two men, whose names the writer
does not care to mention, went to
confer with a number of these
brokers, and they found them quarter
ed in the most elaborate offices in
magnificent sky scrapers, with clerks
and stenographers taking orders for
coal from all parts of the country.
All this pomp and splendor adds to
the cost of coal.
The average price asked by the
brokers is about $500 f. o. b. mine,
and to this the retailer must add
freight, shrinkage, war tax, and the
cost of delivery; therefore the dealer,
to make about 25@6 profit on his in
vestment, which is a reasonable sum,
must sell coal at from $12.75 to $14.00
per ton.
The writer has no proof, but it is
the general opinion of many people
who are in a position to know, that
conspiracy exists between the
operators and the brokers against the
public or private consumer. In one
particular case it was found that the
mine owners and the brokers were
one and the same persons, with hired
men acting as investors. A glaring
example of the lootinp which is going