The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-22

center, most of the coal is produe
general public does not figure in t
fuel. This is explained by operate
of the reasons for the present pric
consumer by the retailer.
Explanations Given
The situation as cited by several O
the major coal operators who dea
with domestic coal for use in homes
for heating purposes was that abou
only 10 per cent of the coal mined Ii
Alabama is suitable for domestic pur
poses; that the remainder is steam
COAL" or coal used for commercial
purposes.
Those operators who mine domesti
coal, which include only 80 per cen
of the coal operators in the state, &C
cording to approximate figures, pro
duce only small amount of domes
tic coal in proportion to the steam
coal.
In mining the coal they claim
that the proportion Is about three
cars of wash coal to one OF lump
coal. There is ready market
for lump coal and egg coal. which
are domestic Goals, but the mar
ket for ..steam coai' IL poor, due
to the fact that the shipping In
dustry, one of the big users of
"steam conI," liz almost at n
standstiII, and that mnny of the
boats now in use are oil burners.
Operators claim they can only pro
duce domestic coal in proportion te
the market for steam COAL" that IL
marketing steam coal'' the operator.
h4 a1c
meet the competition of the opera
tors who mine steam coal" exclu'
sively. They contend they have mo-
the facilities nor can they afford ts
store steam coal in order to produc,
the smaller proportion of domestic
coal.
Operators who mine a larger pro
portion of domestic coal or find
more ready market for steam coal
in sections remote from Alabami
would face a prohibitive freight rate
In shipping TO Birmingham.
Freight Rites Cited
Freight rates in the Alabama dis.
trict have Increased from 200 to 30l
per cent since 1917. Coal shipped t.
Birmingham is effected mainly b,
two rates. one applying to the so.
mile zone and the other to the 100.
mile zone. The rate on a ton of Goa
in the 50-mile zone to Birmingham /,
size, and 81 per ton from the 100
mile zone. The difference in distanc,
Is matter almost negligible within
the 100-mile zone. The rates quoted
apply In carload lots.
Adams, Rowe G. Norman Conl
company state that "ActOn lump"
a well known coal, which sells
at the mine for s5 per ton in car
load lots, sold yesterday In Bir-
minghnm for 80 ton.
The freight ON this coal is IS
cents and war tax cents, which
makes u fob. price mt Birming-
ham to the retailer of 1891 per
ton on the railroad car.
In the 5000 margin which is al.
lowed the retailer this company fig.
ures that he has to take care of the
following expenses, namely: unload
/ ing, slackage, yard rent, clerk hire
taxes, licenses, drayage. advertising
telephones, bad accounts, loss II
weights and donations to charity
which leaves only a reasonable mar
gin for profit.
This company's contention on be
half of the retailer In the south
where warm weather is prevalent the
greater part of the year, is that q
coal dealer operates eight months oil
the year at loss and must make
profits from small margin in the
remaining four months.
E. A. Holmes of the Roden Goa
company, which operates exclusively
in the Cahaba field. averaging 1,40t
tons daily, states that the average
coal consumer has no tangible ides
of the operative costs of mining coal
and cites many cycles of operation
transportation and labor which are
required before coal Is ready for the
consumer.
The Adams, Rowe & Norman COM
pany. in giving figures ON Actor
lump" state that rs cents per tor
is paid at the mine to the minei
for run of the mine" coal loaded In
tram cars in the miners working
place inside the mine. This, 1t /:
contended but preliminary of thu
production expense for many Other
laborers are required at wage OF 5;
to Sc day.
various Cost Given
These include: Timbermen track
men, mule drivers, inside motormen
bratticemen. carpenters. .trappers, gas
inspectors. hosting engineers, weigh
men, electricians. bumpers, machln
lists, slate pickers. railroad car load
ers, rockmen, sanitary men, oos'
drivers. shipping clerks and book
keepers, in addition to superintend'
ents and mine foremcn. who demand
more tran a laborers wage.
In getting coal from the miner II
the tram car to the railway car. !
must be hoisted from mine. screened
sorted and loaded. These operations
along with marketing cause the fol
lowing overheaJs, according to tn,
Adams, Rowe and Norman stateme emit
Power, oil, taxes. license, royalty, O.
depletion, mule feed, depreciation
damage suits. advertising, selling ex
pense and bad debts.
The mines of this company are op
Grating but two or three days week
and claim is made that the lack 0
market for steam coal" Is such tina
only such limited operation Is justi
fled.
Claim is made by several oper-
ators that much coal Is sold at
loss. 1t Is explained that unde-
sirable domestic coal is more
easily and more cheaply mined
than the desirable egg and nut va
rieties; that while 'steanA coal"
comes in thick vstas which are
sContinued on PAGE T.,<teen.)