The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-01-24
The COaI Trade.
IKE,

The weather continued warm the greater
part of last week, much TO the disgust Of
coal operators, who find the supply of fuel
in the market overabundant. The business
is as dull as it well can be and the stock of
coal on hand unusually large. There is lit
to nothing more than feeble inquiry. 1t
is difficult to say how low the price of coal
now is. Buyers are taking so little that sell
lers do not feel warranted in breaking the
market for the few tons that would be taken
at any price, though if the buyers would or
der five thousand tons, or any similar large
amount, the very low down price that would
command coal might be tested. The coal
market is just now very sagy, without the
usual aid at this season from Jack Frost in
betterng the condition. One thing is GER
tain, that almost any change that we may
have will be for the better of those in the
coal trade, whether it comes from demand
superinduce6 by cool weather, making more
coal necessary for domestic uses, or by a
steadily increasing demand arising from the
more active business starting into life all
over the country. While we confess to a
very dull coal market at unwarrantably low
| prices, we haYe not abated one iota of our
confidence in the future of the years busi-
ness. There is every indication that nearly
all the business pursuits that have started
into renewed life within the last half yeai
will continue it is hardly possible for them
to stop at just this point,and if they continue
at all they must increase, and increase SC
largely as TO force the demand for coal up t
the capacity of coal production. Nothing
so surely as this iuXtapositon Of the buying
and selling parties in the market controls
prices to the profit ftrade. We find no onC
intelligent in the trade, capable of covering
the outlook Of the current year Of 1880, whC
does not set 1t down as one of great pros
perity.-Ledger, Monday.
For the week ending on the 18th inst.
there were shipped over the Lehigh VALLEY
railroad Gl 1928 tons Of coal, making tota
of 524 500 tons for the season, an increase o
1854 tons as compared with same tim,
last season.
There were s4,2l7 of coal transport
ed over the L. & S. r. r. for the week end
ing on the 10th inst, making total for the
season to that date oc l3S,992 tons, an in
crease over same time last year of 1910
tons.
Hon. Jno. Leisenring, A, W, Leisenriul
and others, of Mauch Chunk, Philadelphia
New York, Pittsburg, Harrsbug, ETC., hav
formed a coal company and concluded th
purchase Of q valuable tract Of 5000 acre
of bituminous coal lands in Fayette county
upon which they will at once proceed to sim
p shafts.
: PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 20.-At conference
of the Schuylkill coal operators to-day
was decided TO ask the Philadelphia & Read
ing company TO suspend operations tenpora
rily. To the representatives of the confer
B ence, however, the Philadelphia 4 Readn
] officials stated that the company is now onl
= running twenty-one out Gifts fiity-two mine
4 and those are being run only to keep til
S furnaces going. The assurance was give
S that if the requirements Of the trade shoul
! demand total suspension at the last of h
present month the company will then agrC
!. to shut down altogether. The subject of a
ranging prices to compete with the 10
!, priced coal from the Lehigh region WI
talked of but no action was taken.