The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-11-05
SOFT COAL MANAGES. =,
=: WILL: BOOST PRICES
Mine Owners Make Shut Down
In Illinois Excuse. for Ad-
vancing Price Of Coal.
Raise Is Attributed to Conspir-
acy Entered Into With.
Anthracite Coal Trust. =.

Chicago, ILL.,, Nov. 4.-Chicago. is
about to face another advance in the
price Of coal, bituminous as we'll as
anthracite. That is the opinion of re-
tail dealers and large consumers as
well. o.,
The advance, if it comes as expected.
will be made in soft coal first, based
upon the shutdown of the bituminous
mines throughout the state that is ex-
pected to take place the first Of next
month.
And II the advance is made it will be
evidence that the combination under
which the hard coal operators control
the market and the price to consumers
has been expanded to take in the soft
coal operators as we'll. 1t will be ev-
tdence that the trust has secured a
working agreement at least, with prac-
tically all the mine owners in Illinois.
The Illinois Coal Operators Associ-
alton through their commissioner,
Herman Just1, practically announced
yesterday that there will be a general
shutdown on November /, the strike
of the hoisting engineersse that date
to serve as an excuse for the action
that will close the mines and send the
price of bituminous fuel soaring.
The operators have notified the en-
gineers that they will have to submit
to a reduction Of their wages Of 51z per
cent on that date. The engineers de-
clare they will not accept the reduce
ton, hence the announcement Of the
expected closing Of the Mines
The proposed shut down will be
fought by the Illinois Manufacturers
Association and legal steps will be
taken to prevent the closing and the
expected lifting of prices if 1t is poss-
IDLE to do so. Levy Mayer, the attor-
ney for the association; has the matter
under consideration.
The fight will be, in one sense, be-
tween trust and trust, and If no other
Interests were involved. would be in
teresting to watch, but the comfort and
health of every family in the state
depends upon the issue of It,;
By advancing the price to the big
consumers the mine operators advance
1t for the smaller ones as WE'LL and it is
the small ones, the poorer families,
that will have to bear the greater part
of the burden Of the cost.
Interested citizens and the occasional
coal dealer who can be induced to
speak his mind, declare the shut down
and the strike itself, if it is brought
about, are the basis Of plan ia get
the price Of soft coal raised from 81
to 81 ton, and. that the anthracite
operators are lin on the deal IL :.:::
u The alnaounced eduction of.:Wages. it
:is. declaEed,His for: the deliberate p il
pose Of bringing about a strike. The
strike is wanted by the operators as
an excuse to raise prices. The soft
coal operators have been shown by the
anthracite trust that when once the
price Is raised by coal famine 1t can
be kept up.
Another reason given for the operat-
ors wanting strike Is that a higher
price for soft coal is desired by the an
thracite combine to stop encroach-
ments upon what the combine considers
it's own particular field, house and flat
heating.
BY putting the price of soft coal so
high that it will be cheaper to burn
anthracite for house heating, the Penn
sylvania trust will get the custom Of
the flatowners and other private con-
sumers, and the combination Of soft
coal mine owners will more than make
their loss good by the increased prices
they will get from the manufacturer,
manufacturer who burn tons of
coal daily said yesterday that the soft
coal mine operators have been looking
TOR an excuse to raise their prices ever
since the anthracite men used the big
strik Of 1900 and the attendant coal
famine to keep up the price OF their
product