The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-20
NOT IMPROVED.
Outlook In Soft Coal Is Still
Dark.

The situation in bituminOus Goals, so
far as Worcester is concerned, has i'm
proved but very little during the past
week, and the prices remain I'M
changed.
In Brockton, the price has dropped in
certain brands and some of the deal
ers are selling for 20 cents a ton less
than formerly. That is a reduction of
one-haf the advance made at the be-
ginning of the season, and it is eX-
pected that a return to the former fig
ures Will come a little later
f. w, Wellington & Co. of this city
said Saturday that there had been no
reduction of prices since the clear
weather set in, nor was there likely to
be any right away. So fast as the local
dealers were concerned, the situation in
factory Goals was unchanged. There
was very little in the local market
At Summers office, no reduction has
been made or contemplated. The BIZ
luminous Goals were beginning to come
in fairly well. Two cargoes have been
received recently, but they were far
from having a good market supply
John +. Chadwick & Co. said their
soft coal was coming in slowly. But the
usual conditions were not maintaining
by any means. They knew nothing of
any reduction.
w. H. Jourdan Co. are selling at the
same figures as the other dealers. The
company is receiving it's soft coal in
small lots. They have not received a
single cargo as yet.
The Worcester Coal Co. have not les
sened its figures. The supply of soft
coal is increasing pretty rapidly, and
the company is almost back to the con-
ditionS existing before the rise.
C Nv CtlaHiD e 90 tell tba mo
story as the others regarding the pros
poets of a reduction in the rates. The
soft coal is nowhere near the normal
supply, and will not be for a long time,
they say. The tonnage has been div
erted much, and the government is
taking large quantities, which makes
it bad for the home supply.
The coal consumers of this city have
not vet recovered from the surprise
attending the rise in rates of two
months ago. One reason given for the
advance was the severity of the
weather upon the coast and the loss OF
many cargoes and coal carrying
barges, which curtailed the portage as
well as the lost tons of coal upon which
future supplies were based These
conditions created Il shortage in the
market at a time when such hindrance
could least be overcome, and although
there is now some Improvement, all
the difficulty is not yet removed
one dealer in speaking of conditions,
said that in talking with the largest
wholesaler in New England a day or
two ago, the latter stated that he had
in stock only four out of the nine diff
ferent brands of coal in demand. In
other words, he is able to supply deal
ers with only four brands of coal, and
yet he stands in a position to secure
any kind of coal he wants if it was pos
sible to get it.
One conservative dealer predicts that
the price of coal next year win be high,
and the reason given is that the prod
uct is being freighted below profit
from the mines, and this condition has
got to change. Those now controlling
the lines from the mines, like j. Pier
pont Morgan, will not continue to
freight coal at a loss, and this means
a definite advance for freighting on the
Pennsylvania lines and a corresponding
rise in the coal as received here for
consumption.