The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1875-09-25
The Coal Trade,

Anthracite coal production continues We y full
and le orders tor coal light. As cOnseq 'ience
OF TINS como ton OF the trade thei II sharp com
petition for tile market, and JIcltering are nj.
ready heard as 70 tne means 10 wh!Cn sOne Of
the nattl . to the coal combination 40 advence
piices 0f coal monthly resort 70 effect the lar
gest possible sales. lt Is manifest that the
stock Of coat Ia now ahead OF the market auu
unless there N IA check to the current supply u
fall in prices bv forced sales and othe WISE is
almost inevitable. Indeed, there are already
complaints that some OF the parties TO tine coal
combination arc cutting under III prices ana
others have refused to curtail production to the
prescribed percentage I'm such case made and
provided Bad tRith Is charged as well towards
the Reading R1ilrORd Company as that of Phila-
dolphin ana Reading Coal ana Iron COMPANY,
-tOth OF which are so situated that they caunOt
consistently afford to initiate their competitors
III y ke warfare. II shis selfish pOncy is per-
sisted IN the combination and company control
OF the aDthtaClt coal trnde may be broken be.
lore the end OF the seasOn ana, although tho
Reading Railroad Company, the master spirit
OF the combination, may be restrained for tnis
season in the lull measure OF It's power to carry
on war OF rates and prices as against rival in.
terests the next years coal trade u the combi-
nation is abandoned may show most unset.
tied condition of affairs, with as great unCer.
tainty as TO resulting profits to all IN the busi-
ness as ever before. 1t is possible th lt ere too
late, a less selfi,h spirit may enter into the de-
Clslons OF the combination and an overstOcked
market and undue losses to those in the Grade
be prevented, Orders for coal come IN slowly.
ana pine illv because the iron furnaces those
great consumers Of coal, lack Oiders for iron,
prce of coal has little influence on the coal
tlade. Should the monthly advances in prices
OF coal De OF once stopped there Is little re son
10 DeleVe that coal orders would be material v
IL at all increased The two last weekly reports
OF the Reading Railroad Company show very
heavy tncreas of coal on hand. This largely
increased stock Is partly III consequence OF a
scarcity OF vessels, and vessels here are scarce
because coal freightS are so low that vessels
Will not come here to carry coal If they can flnu
employment elsewhere with other freight They
are, therefore, spread all along the coast The
retail coal trade IL far.v pc,ive. Daily, in al
mOst eve.y square all over the city. coal is be-
ing stored away Tor winter use. Ledger, 22nd.
AT the meeting Of all the parties to the com
binaJiOn u the an hrAClte cuai carrying COM
panies at New York on Tuesday, to fix prices
and adjust business for the month of October.
the prices OF e2g and stove sizes were advanced
each ~ cents per ton. while 1t was agreed to
continue Septemberprlces through october for
meeting that the Delaware, Lacka. II Western
Company and tne delaware ~ Hudson Com
pany WOulG cease coal IrOduc'lOn Tor the first
Two weeks in october All the other companies
III the cOm6ln ltlOn will continue production IN
order co make up what WIS lost in the tonnage
ut the beginning OF the season BY reason of
that long stand.Out the heading Railroad Is L.
Ol7, 100 tons behind its last years tonnage, the
L-high alley RailIoad lis 700 tons and tle
Central OF New jersey 574O0J tons The Penn.
svvanla Coal Company stands nearly even.
The Del, Lacka. d Western Is 6sS,0t0 tons H.
head of ITS last years tonnage. and the Del. &
hudson 100000 TONS By this arran cement the
pohcy OF the combination TO maintain monthly
advances is preserved, as is also the policy of
equitable distribution Of tonnage.
The following table shows the quantity OF coal
shipped over the Lehigh Valley HailrOau tor the
week ending sept 18th, 1875. and for the year a
compared with the same tine last year: