Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1897 — THE SUPPLY STORE. [ARTICLE]

THE SUPPLY STORE.

Pennsylvania Coal Miners Robbed bf TI»Hr Emnlorm, A clerk in a Pennsylvania ooal company “supply store” has made some interesting revelations regarding that particular method of robbing the workingman. There are twenty-seven “supply stores’ In the coal and ooka region, notwithstanding the State law on the subject, and all aro owned by the loal companies, or b. heavy stooknolder* in the corporations. Twenty thou--and auner.i or employes of coke ovens arc amiipelled to deal at these stores, and, a -Miming that the average annual purchases of a customer reach $-'OO, we have $4,005,000 as the total of thn business. All the for a 1 these stores uro bought for oash by one man, who has an oboe in Pittsburg, and the employe quoted says he is enabled, by the magnitude of his orders and spot cash pa> mouts, to buy from l") to St per cent, cheaper than tho individual private merobant, while the stoio pi ices to miners are from 10 to St per cent higher than at other stores In other woids, he figures a profit to the "pluck me store of from 26 to 50 per cent., an i concludes that the st res are often Tar more profit?" Vile ‘lo t ie ooal companies/than the mines are Those oompany stores have no bad debts, as otnor tn ro! ants have. A mino can only obtain good) when he hu* money ooming to him from the ooal company. When he exhau.ts that balance he can obtain no more supplies until he has don t more work, am, as a ro u t of this system, he often sees n > cash for m- nths at a time