The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-08-21

tue SJOcK OF CHESTNUT ana stove IS last |
diminishing. 1t is fair to except en- ad- |
vance of rs cents a ton on stove and chest |
nut next month, but it will not be wise to |
check the demand by putting up prices on |
other sizes. 1t has now been settled that |
the companies have the market fully under |
their control, and they have pretty well |
satisfied large consumers that they do not |
propose fighting each other at their own
expense. Anything beyond an advance Of
25 cents a ton on small sizes would deter |
purchasers and prevent the shipment Of
the coal that ought to be sent forward in |
September and October. An advance of
| of that sum would not prevent very active |
| fall market, and would still give the COM |
panies all they want to do at remuncratve |
| prices. The stock on the wharves has been |
reduced to the minimum, and there is moth |
| ing on hand now to meet anysudden require |
ment The dull season in the coal trade, |
the Miners Journal says, "is about drawing
to a close, and Schuylkill miners and ship
pers will soon have all the business they
can handle The improvement in the trade
has been steadily increased for three or four
weeks, and last some Of the large operators
were compelled to announce that they were
full of orders for certain varieties for the
month of August, and could not undertake
to deliver any more. These orders embrace
nearly the whole list of vraieties and sizes,
! Iorl bp,lya., o,,l Syr fran br,l.a,, or@
and stove, Schuylkill red ash stove, Shamo-
kin egg and stove, Lorberry stove, Northern
Franklin egg and stove, Brooksde, all sizes,
and white ash pea. This condition of the
trade at the selling points puts an end to
the long period of restriction, and will IN
sure steady operations for the remainder Of
the year. As the coal is sold at good prices
it has a corresponding effect upon the wages
restricting the production during certain
portion of the year. Had the operations
continued during the whole year the
market would have been glutted, and the
product could only be disposed of at prices
that would not have paid the cost ofminng
and moving tha coal to the seaboard. This
was the case last year, the only period for
many years that full time was made
Wages were low, and had they been deter
mined by the strict letter of agreement to
regulate thepay by price Of coal there would
have been great suffering in the region
Mr. Governs plan of establishing mini
mum beyond which they should not decline
enabled the men to pull through, though
with very little TO spare for contingencies
The iron trade also continues to improve
and the belief is strengthening that the fall
!. will witness revival in the industry al
general as last year, and that it will bt
lasting, from the fact that experience haj
taught them the necessity Of more con
servative policy in regard to prices. Com
pared with this period of last year the trad,
is much better Only is furnaces were il
blast on the line of the Philadelphia anC
Reading Railroad at this time last year
=. Now there arc, 20 in blast, with 81 Awaiting
certainty Of a steady continuance Of tn
advance to begin operations. On the line o
the Lehigh the number of furnaces is less
- but the proportion at work is greater. Ou
-, of 40 furnaces 80 are in blast and 10 out.
10 is good policy to make every concession pos
sble in the price OF coal to the furnace men
-, There is great deal of extra freight for th
20 railroad companies when the furnaces ar
i, in blast, and other profits that always com
from the prosperity ofpeople along the line
81. which the starting of 81 blast furnaces woul
very greatly promote. During the past wee
+. the Philadelphia and Reading Iron Com
, pany's stock at Port Richmond has dimin
-, ished from 90 ,l0I TONS to S4,sS7 tons, and
would be impossible now to fill a single We:
sci with what coal there IS on the dock, eS
= cept of stove and chestnut. 1t would
.. impossible to place any large order fC
~ broken or egg in this city. Neither tn
-, Reading nor the Lehigh Valley would az
cept it at circular price, FOR the very goo
reason that they have already booked orde
r., for all that they can mine in three day
a week during which the mines will |
- worked this month. Fully half of the COT
80 on hand at Port Richmond is ehestnl
=, which is awaiting the time whom the morr
ing glory stoves will be placed in position
is The New York companies report a yeI
q active inquiry from dealers in the east, wit
:. very little coal to be had to meet their d
. mands. It is already patent that tie clo
Of the month will End very little coal abo'
ground unsold.