Evening star., 1902-08-15
NO INCREASE IN PRICE
Local Dealers in Hard Coal
Continue Old Rate.
ERRONEOUS REPORTS
EFFORTS OF WASHINGTON EX-
CHANGE TO AVERT FAMINE.
Members Decline to Sell More Than a
Ton at a Time-Necessary
Precaution.
ERRONEOUS REPORTS

While the strike in the anthracite coal
regions, now of several months duration,
has caused some uneasiness on the part of
people of Washington about their supply of
coal. the condition is not so serious as may
be supposed. OF course, If the strike is to
be continued indefinitely-if the operators
and the miners are unable to agree upon
basis of some knd-there will be within a
comparatively short time a shortage uf
the anthracite product.
The dealers in Washington are hopeful
that the operators and miners will be
brought together before many weeks 60
by-at least before cold weather comes.
That there has not been an increase in the
price of hard coal is due to the efforts of
the Washington coal exchange, the mem
bers of which, with perhaps a few excep-
tions, have agreed to maintain the pre-
vailing price at the time the strike was
inaugura ted-$6.15 a ton.
TO prevent a break-to maintain uni
form price of commodity that is ever in
demand-has been a delicate piece Of
flnesse. The members of the coal exchange,
as a rule, have seen the Importance Of
maintaining the old price and thus thwaIt {
a needless scare. Stories have been printed
in out-of-town papers that there was a
proba billty of the departments of the gov
ernment not being able to get coal. and
that it would mean a cessation of business,
or that the thousands of employees of the
government might have to perform their
labors in unheated rooms. This is in the
main untrue The stories have given an
entirely wrong impression of what actually
obtains in Washington.
No Cause for Worry.
The Evening Star has made a careful in
vestigatlOn, and the result Is that there
is no immediate cause for worry. The
members of the Washington coal exchange
have sought to prevent alarm on the part
Of their customers. They have declined to
supply more than a single ton of hard coal
at time, and have assured each customer
that he would be taken care of. Had it
not been for this method persons of wealth
would have paid a higher price for their
winter supply of coal and persons less for
tunate would have been unable to get a
supply at any price.
There is scarcely coal dealer in Wash
ington today who has not been approa ched
by men of money, anxious at this time to
put in their winter supply of anthra cite
and who have in many instances offered
price far in advance of the prevailing quo
tations. In nearly every instance only ton
at time has been delivered, and in this
way genuine hard coal famine has been
averted.
From Baltimore comes the information
that some of the schools may be closed
later on for the lack of hard coal This
condition should not obtain in any city.
tl
al lower price.
Statement by MI. Dove.
Of a number of coal dealers seen today
by a representative of The Evening Star
the statement made by Mr. j. Maury Dove
is significant.
There is no cause for alarm at present
If the public is willing to take ton of hard
coal at a time Mr.. Dove said. IF the
public is willing to be provided with it's
immediate wants there will be no trouble
All the dealers ask is that the people of
Washington do not apply for more than is
necessary for actual and Immediate wants
If the people of Washington will only
see the advisa bility of doing this at time
when strike threatens a scarcity 1t will
thereby assist in preventing the exhaustion
of the present supply in the hands of the
dealers.
Some of the government departments in
Washington have already used bituminous
coal. There is no law in the District pre-
venting the use of soft coal other than the
anti-smoke regulation. The wheels of gov
ernment will not be stopped because of that
law. The people of the District would
surely insist upon q broad Interpretation
of that law, to say the least, rather than
have their children prevented from attend
ing the public schools
The people would rather submit TO the
inconvenience of a little smoke than to have
their children deprived of schooling There
is plentiful supply of bituminous coal
However, l feel that the anthracite strike
will be settled before long"