The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-19
Survey of Topeka Yards Shows
Only $50 Tons on Hand.
In Normal Years 10000 Tons
Would Be Available Here.
ONLY SMALL AMOUNT STORED
Local Dealers Blame Industrial
Court for Present Situation.
Shortage of Cars and Equip
ment Big Factor, Is Claim.

Don't quote any coal dealer. The
public holds us to be alarmists and
won't believe anything we say. Go to
the representative yards of the city,
find out for yourself how much coal
they have on hand. Find out how
much storage business they have done.
Find out whether the people are buy
ing coal now or whether they are not
Find out whether the dealers are able
to get coal now or not. Don't ask any
body for his opinion, ask them for
facts"
Such was the advice given to a re-
porter for The State Journal today by
one of the leading coal dealers of the
city.
You tell 'em," was the burden of
his remarks, they won't believe u.s.
The survey was undertaken. 1t
showed that in six of the repre-
sentative coal yards of Topeka there
whereas, in normal years, there would
not be less than 10000 tons, and in all
probability twice that amount stored.
Not Much Coal Stored.
1t showed that the householder is
as short of stored coal as are the
dealers
s Dealers refer to the coal which is
bought by householders during the
summer or early fall, and parked in
the basement, as storage business
Normally, by this season of the year,
from so per cent to 10 per cent of the
coal which is going to be bought dur
ing the year has been thus bought
and stored. Up to about the present
time the delivery trucks of dealers are
busy putting in the fuel of the fore
handed family which means to have
their comfort assured Just about
the present time there is a lull in bust
ness as the early birds get theirs and
the improvident souls who haven't the
price, or haven't felt the bite of frost
in its premonitory nippings, haven't
commenced to scramble earnestly with
their dealers.
This is the class of business which
has been shot" this year. The state
nfents of dealers on the percentage OF
tffts business which has been done
this far, vary. But not one dealer ad-
mitS that he S done more than &c
per cent of the normal storage busi-
ness" which he should have done by
this date.
There was. only one dealer who ad
mitted to having done over 10 pei
cent of his storage business. The high
est estimate was ID per cent to Is pei
cent. The others ranged from 6 Y to
less than one per cent.
Storage Business Checked.
The utterances of Judge Crawford
of the Kansas Industrial court, on the
possibility of lower coal prices, were
credited by every dealer interviewed
with being a big factor in keeping
back the storage business
! The present volume of buying was
the topic of another question. Here
the answers of the dealers varies
| widely. One of them said that hi:
orders for coal were equal in volume
to the demands which he was receiv
ing at the same time last year. An
other declared that only 80 per cen
of the limited amount of coal which
he is able to secure, is going direc
to the consumers. and 10. per cent o.
it is going into his bins. other deal
ers declare that their volume of bust
ness now is 5 per cent what it nor
mally is.
| Say Price Is Too High.
Again, credit is freely given tt
newspaper price agitation" and Il
Judge Crawford's pronouncements
They call. us by phone by the hun
dreds," more than one dealer de
clared today. "They ask the price ant
bang the receiver back on the hool
: just too late to prevent little pro
family tricking thru, and that's the las
I'VE hear of them. They have beer
Continued on Page Twol