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Show wight i RATES CAUSE COALERICES .TOMMI Fuel Dealers Declare Profits Less Than 5 Per Cent; Relief Re-lief Possible, If Utilites Board Forces Tariff Cut I By E. J. David THE TELEGRAM today presents pre-sents a plan.to prevent an increase in-crease in the eost of coal. The Telegram also shows why the present pres-ent cost should be reduced. The solution of the wnote problem may be reached by tha public demand-Ins demand-Ins that tha state public utilities commission com-mission order a decrease In freight rates from tha point of ahlpment at the mines to respective destinations For the present . excessive freight rates are, more or less, the controlling features in the high cost of fuel. Utah haa been aaddled with a tre-mendoua tre-mendoua add unneceeeary expenditure ' taf years In the matter of payment on the transportation of coal. Tn keeping with the general policy of the railroads to charge more for haulage In thia state than others, Utah baa contributed many millions of dollars to the exchequers ex-chequers or tne common carrlera. These millions belong to the people of this state. They represent fortunea which might have been kept for the building up of thia atata. but owing to the absence ab-sence of a public utilities commission here until thia year tha railroads hsva been allowed to do practically what they please. There has been ' a discussion of a somewhat acrimonious character for yeara regarding the prtca or coal here. The main Issues In the excessive eost have been lost sight of. There has only been condemnation and little effort manifeated to find a aolutlon. COST MAY BE REDUCED. The price of coal can be reduced m Rait Lake and elsewhere In thia state if the people will tackle the problem properly. If they will attack tha freight ratea and bring the rallroada to make an adjustment, which they can easily do, there will be no need for further fur-ther talk about the hlgn coat of the commodity. There will be a mass meeting of coal consumers at the Hotel I'tah tonight and with a view to gaining pressure to bear on the public utilities commisalou to Investigate the whole coal situation. I aupplv certain figuree ahowfng the cost of tha bauiaga of coal rn Utah and Montana. It will be noted that tlie cost in Montana is much teas than .in T'tah and It ahnuld be borne In mind that this Is probably due to the fact that Montana for yeara has nad a pub- figures are not correct and that a $l.tl a ton rate prevails. sit does. This rate waa Introduced April 1. but will cease June 90 and the general tariff of $1.0 will again prevail, according to present Intentions snd notification aent out to that effect. , Here la another comparison: COMPARISON OF RATES. From Helper to Hrigham City haulage haul-age on a ton of coal for tne 182 miles costs $2.25. In Montana from Chinook to Browning, 1H4 mllea, the cost is only $1.4&. Other comparisons could be made showing that the cost ia much less from Rock 8pringa, Wyo., than It Is from Helper to Halt Lake. In both cases the distance Is slightly greater in Montana than In Utah. Judged on a mileage basis alone the coat should, logically, be less. Besides lie utilltiea com m Ina ion to regulate prlcea. , Tha average diet a nee from the minea at Helper to Bait Lake la 124 mllea and the coat of conveying a ton of coal ia il.aO. From ChlnooK, Mnnr, to Fhelb. Mont.. 12 mllea. tha coat for a almilar (shipment la only 1115. The rate from Helper to Salt Lake ahould not, at th highest fifuie, exceed Si a ton because the density of traffic im greater in I'Un than it Is In Montana. The rallmsfl miirht claim that these this there are better traffic condition such as the fact that the distance from Helper to Halt Lake Is down grade all the way after reaching the summit out of Helper. The greater traffic here provide more revenue than In Monvina and there Is conclusive evidence that nothing but unjunt and unwarranted freight rates discriminate to Utah's dlnatl vantage. tt la fjrwhahle that the coal companies contemplate sn increase tn the price of coal In view of the poaibilit) tha. there might be an Increase In freight rates. The railroads are attempting to obtain a IS percent tncrea in freight rates throughout the country. SHOULD OI8GORGE. Cftlxens of Halt Lake and T'tnh generally gen-erally have for the moat part M.ime! I the high price of coal upon the coal ' dealer or ntntributore. It 1 aj v:tr nt that the blame xhouid not m placed j upon them. It ia tne ratlnvads whih (irontinued on page I ) HIGH FREIGHT RATES Continued from page l.) should be' denounced and brought to book. The railroads should not only be asked to mske a reduction in freight rates, but be order ad to disgorge profits unfsirly msde st th expense e the people of this stste. THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE HAVE BEEN ROBBED FOR YEARS AS A RESULT OF UNFAIR UN-FAIR AND : DISCRIMINATORY FREIGHT RATES. C. T. Wortey, gehersl manager of the Standard Fuel company of thia city, states thot it cnete S2 a. ton for screen slack coal at the mines. The freight on it at present U H.ee. Put on July i i it will rise to S1.C0. Loading at the yards costs IS cents a ton, while delivery deliv-ery sccounts fur soother 60 cents, making mak-ing ft total of $4. The coal, according to Mr. Worley, retails at $4.26 a ton. Thia means that j for every ton of coal delivered by the i company it only makes 26 cents. This i 26 cents is not a net profit for out of It haa to be paid the aaierie of solicitors and collectors besides office rent, in addition the office carries an aocount ; for thirty to sixty days. The company has fr.nu $f0.0O to $100,000 Invested in Its business snd it is entitled to at least 4 per cent on such Investment. , "Any coal dealer will verify these figures." ears Mr. Weriey. "1 would like to see anyone who la a large user of coal show why he Is objecting to the exorbitant profits of the coal dealer, j i In feJrneee. I think that the public Is entitled to know the facta. If the f reign t la too high or the coal costs too muck for delivery that la beyond the control of the coal distributors. At present coal is being sold on a margin of less than ft per cent profit to the dealers." The public utilities eommlasloft of Utah must reduce the rate of freight on coal. This state Is already overburdened with unfair and discriminatory freight rates and It is about tune that extortion extor-tion ceased.' When the public utilities commission orders the railroads to supply sup-ply sufficient cars and adjust the cost of conveyance on coal there will bo nu cause for continued agitation. But the people must agitate until the commission commis-sion so acta. Only thrmigsr aaptatloa have the greatest reforms of all ages : boea made ( |