The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-09-01
mo- CHEAP COAL FOR
WINTER, IS PROSPECT;
FREIGHT RATES UP
By WILLIAM r. ,sANsoRN

coal, recently received in RICHMOND,
cost the coal man $151.T for freight
and war tax. This was rate OF 1851
per ton. Any car Of Belleville coal
headed this way since Aug. rs Will
cost $5.04 freight per ton on arrival.
The war tax mentioned Is simply on
the freight bill, not on the coal at
the mines. II
A car of Belleville coal just un-
loaded at Hagerstown. IS tons, PAID
freight bill of $202.60, about $3.50
per ton, on the old rate, also $3.50 per
car war tax. AS against this we note
that a 55-ton car to the New Paris
Equity elevator, cost the farmers
$206.91 freight; while on a 54-ton car
to Losantville, from the same Illinois
mine, the freight was but Suisse. All
this coal came from about 40 miles
this side of ST. Louis, and one won
ders why 1t costs so much more to
freight coal to Hagerstown or New
Paris than to Losantville.
Last Mays Coal Prices.
Last May, when the government de-
cided it could deliver West Virginia
coal at Richmond for s1.S5 per ton, it
cost but $4.65 at the mines, or $3.50 as
the delivered price here. This was at
the same time that we were paying
$3.50 freight on Illinois coal. The
quotation on coal from the same West
Virginia mine a few days ago was
$3.50 at the mine And the new freight
rate, even on, the old basis of $1.S5
per ton, with the 40 per cent increase.
allow the local coal men decent
price for unloading and delivery, then
see il you can figure any way to fill
your cellar with cheap coal this fall
All strings are of the railroads to-
day; they can base their charges on
the mileage and are likely to increase
rates in proportion to the highest
charged under government manage
ment.
We doubt that a car of West Vir-
ginia coal can now be laid down in
Richmond at less than SLIPS per ton,
under any new open market deal, If
at all obtainable by new buyers.
No One Has Coal to Sell
In the lot of so letters and tele-
grams from coal operators and agents,
We did not happen on one that quoted
a price. Not a single mine owner or
agent of this lot had a ton to sell at
any price. M. A. Hanna & Co., of
Cleveland. the old Mark Hanna con-
Germ and among the largest coal
handlers in the country, stated that
every pound of anthracite they con-
trolled TO. the year would not fill
their orders.
The Operators Fuel Agents Cor
poration at Pittsburgh said: 1--WE
can't quote anthracite at this time"
The Lehigh and Wilkesbarre COM
pany. anthracite men covering mines
in the entire district, wired: I'VE
have no coal which we can quote. y
this to the Richmond Sales company,
who are securing the country for coal
for dozens of Indiana and Ohio towns.
The Situation in Chicago
The Consumers company. of Chica-
go, publicly claiming to handle "25
per cent of the retail coal trade of
Chicago" says that it has not made
a dollar on its coal business this sea-
son. There will be more people liv-
ing in their kitchens this winter. be-
cause of lack of coal, than ever be-
fore" Their statement to the public
in explanation of the situation fol-
lows:
"The miners strike last winter de-
pleted reserve stocks. The switch
mems strike this spring was followed
Dy announcer miner Stilhc. we dIc
not getting the coal.
1--WE have taken no orders for an
thracite since July Is and none for
Pocahontas since May Is. The addi-
tional freight charges we will have to
pay amount to $150,000 on coal now
ordered.
There are no cars to haul the u
linois coal, and without cars the
mines cannot operate"
Will Coal Contracts Hold?
1t is morally certain that coal oper-
ators will find 1t very inconvenient to
fill their sales made at comparatively
low prices months ago for summer
and fall delivery. With agents for
certain industries bidding against
each other for coal. with clamoring
for coal by many public utilities,
which must be served. buyers of con-
tract coal will lat best, be likely to
receive only a percentage of their
purchases at the original set price, or
even plus the recent wage advances.