South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-10-28
COAL DEALERS
HERE DISCUSS
FUEL PROBLEM
NJ ayOr Carson. Councilmen
and Local Merchants
Hold Meeting.

If the public is patient for the mex,
ten days or two weeks and If the
dealers viii limit their supply Of coal
TO one or two tons 10 the customer
and allow no duplication of orders
the local coal situation viii be re-
lieved This decision and the YER
dict that the coal dealers are not N
colluSion TO rob the Lublc and that
they are making every effort possible
10 get a sufficient supply of coal Oc-
cupied the time of the two hour dis
cussion between the city council and
the coal dealers at the city hall
Wednesday night.
Councilman Beyers acted as chair
man Of the meeting and explained
that the business was TO solve the
problem of protecting the people of
South Bend against a possible coal
famine. II called upon c. NJ. LontZ.
chairman Of the coal dealers assO-
citation. who explained the situation
from the coal dealers position, IN
detail. Mr.. LOntz attacked the idea
which had been growing TO the effect
that the coal dealers We're refusing
10 but coal on account of the low
margin of profit allotted them by
the Indiana commission. by saying
method Of increasing the tonnage of
coal coming into South Bend would
be in great demand by all the local
dealers.
Gives Reasons.
He stated that number of rea-
sons were TO blame for the coal
shortage here as the Interstate Com
merce commission for one thing had
issued priority orders which di-
reCted the coal shipment TO the New
England states and that the wide
car shortage and numerous strikes
were also causes He also stated that
local dealers were unable TO get
hard coal even during the summer
months and that the public should
not blame the dealer for this. Mr..
Lontz said in explanation of the
state situation: The Indiana situa-
tion is "a problem IN Itself. The COM
mission at Indianapolis set a price
on Indiana coal at the mines and
also gave the retailers "a fiat price of
S2.25 margin which was TO cover tho
cost Of handling the coal and the de
( livery Thinking this was unjust the
( local dealers sent a representation
/ before the commission with evidence
/ that the average cost for six months
business by the leading Sealers was
nearer $2.7j a ton Two days ago
the dealers were notified that tho
3 commission had raised the margin
/ 20 $3.50 a ton for soft coal and $2T5
/ for hard coal This is somewhat bet-
\ ter but still is not sufficient
ut Is a bad arrangement cOutin-
ded Mr.. Lontz "as il takes away tn,
incentive for the deaiers TO go ou'
/ and make Il good buy. for we can
only get the margin price and Dc ais,
/ keeps up from loading up on Goa
as we have to have il coming in fas-
/ enough so that we can deliver IL di-
frectly and 1T the least possible eX-
/ pense. else we lose money on it,. The
I operators are also shipping an their
coal out of The state where they can
; bargain for its sale and are not gov
erned by "a fixed price.
Answers Mayor
In answer TO Mayor Carson's ques-
( ton as 10 whether or not ii was tru,
that the coal dealers were not buying
coal because they were not satisfied
with the margin price fixed by the
/ CONTINUED on PAGE FDTRI