The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-05-23
Problem of Coal Trade

l. FTODlem OF coal iId0e
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
We note the able articles being pub
klished in your paper regarding the ne
cessity for both the retail coal dealer
and the ultimate consumer laying in
full stock of coal now, for the COM
ing winter. We have also had this
matter brought to our attention by a
number of the coal mines and the rail-
roads are making a publicity campaign
along the same lines.
We real lie the gravity of the situa-
tion in so far as domestic coal is con-
cerned but we have seen no reasons
given as TO why this advice is not be-
ing geperally taken and we are TAX
ing the liberty of asking if you will
not consider the other side of the
question, and If the reasons for hang
ing back, as we hear them stated, ap-
pear to you to have merit publish
them also.
Some of manufacturing friends put
the matter of buying steam coal this
way: "They have been compelled to
greatly lower the price of the arti-
Giles they manufacture, they are in
some cases closed down altogether,
some of them are running half time,
or less, a number are operating what
time they do run in order to keep their
organization intact and to provide en-
ployment for their employees. Why
should they load UP with large stock
of coal and probably run up the
price of steam COAL with their cost
sheets already showing red.
If we tell them there will be scarcity
Of steam coal they point us the fact
that many mines are idle, many run
ming part time.
The mines give as part reason for
the high price of fuel the great over
head expense; the user knows they
wish production to absorb this, and
the only way he can think of produc .
ton is for them to get out coal for
him to buy. The miners wish employ
ment, that means to dig coal. These
facts are fairly convincing to the
steam user. that under the very limited
demand he has no cause 10 be wor-
lied about not getting coal, and while
he may be an optimist and feel that
1.-The tide has turned and business will
gradually get better, it will take Il
better argument than we have yet
heard to convince him that the new
prosperity is going to fall on him in
heap and right now.
Some of the trouble we hear in re-
gard to the retail dealer and The con-
sumner putting in coal for domestic
purposes is:
N The present scale of prices being
asked for coal at the mines is practi-
cally the same as those prices asked
at this time of the year during war
time, and the year Immediately follow
ing the war, this is especially true on
nigh grade Alabama coal The high
est freight rate, as far as we know,
ever asked in the history of the coun-
try is being charged for getting it
from the mines to the points of desti-
nation. This makes the delivered price
practically the same as it was at this
time of the year, during the most try
ing times of the war The retail
dealer as a rule is what is known as
"a small potato" financially speaking
and the smaller dealers will find, even
though they wish, it will be impossi-
BILE for them to carry the stocks they
formerly carried with a delivered price
fully 300 per cent advanced and the
banker sitting tight on the lid. We
know of no way to get a man to do
what Is impossible for him to do
Those retail dealers who are able to
finance full stock of domestic coal
at present figures also have a few i'm
portant things to consider In the ag
ricultural sections especially, there is
little money and less employment. In
most of those towns which are partly
manufacturing and partly agricultural,
skilled labor has also declined from 10
to 80 per cent. and day labor as much