Show coal companies are guilty O 0 of profiteering the following interesting story re garding the cost of coal appeared in a recent issue of the provo post there Is little wonder that familiar with the cause of the present unwarranted high price of coal complain when the facts pertaining to the production of this Indi spens able commodity are made known we are informed upon good authority that at the present time the opera tors of utah coal mines are paying 9 93 3 cents per ton tor for coal to be mined added to this is a tram charge of 10 cents and a tipple screening etc charge of 10 cents making a total charge of 1 13 per ton to this amount must be added an overhead expense of fifty per cent which pays the company a taxes seven per cent on the stock holder holders s investment and all inci inel dental expenses to which must also be added the freight charges 2 17 per ton from the utah mines which too la Is said to be an excessive charge this runs the total cost of laying a ton of coal in provo to 3 87 in round figures to this figure our in formant tells us the mine operators have since the war restrictions were raised added an extra surplus pro tit fit of 3 31 per ton it being shown that the retailer Is charged 7 17 per ton for coal delivered to his yards the amount between 7 17 and 9 75 Is 2 58 which pays tor for unloading the coal at the local yard yard delivery and overhead expenses of the local dealers which we are told and have every reason to believe Is a legitimate charge the complaint is based on the 3 31 per ton surplus profit by the coal barons which it true Is a flag rant instance of profiteering we understand that during the war the government allowed these mine operators 3 65 atthe mine during that time labor conditions were ext ermely bad and living gener ally much higher than at the present time under present conditions we see no reason why the people should be made to pay the price they are now charging for coal they might however expect to have to pay this surplus profit just as long as no one complains and it might be interesting to know that at the figures given above it runs into mil lions of dollars during a single year |