Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-09-12
COAL TRADE IS SLOW
DOES NOT PICK UP AS READILY
AS WAS EXPECTED BY
DEALERS.
The Black Diamond, Official Organ Of
the Coal Trade, Tells of Condition
at the Opening of the Coal Season
Possibilities of Strike.

Possibilities of Strike.
Chicago, ILL.,, Sept. 9-The Black
Diamond, official newspaper of the
trade today says:
Business in coal in the west has not
been quite as active this week as was
expected, considering the general
stagnancy that has prevailed all sum-
mer and the fact that much coal will
be required for current requirements
with the opening of the domestic sea
son. Dealers seem to be pursuing a
waiting policy before taking in the
product, and, notwithstanding the
many conditions which make it i'm
perative that they should be fore
handed in their buying, many are not
accepting the warning, but are still
pursuing a dilatory policy. The ex-
pected car shortage, accompanied by
COMPOSITIONS Of freight at terminal and
junction points, looms larger with the
advancement of the season. A few
weeks ago it was confined almost
wholly to the smokeless fields of West
Virginia, and no one outside of those
districts gave it much attention. Now,
in nearly all the coal fields, there is
talk of the prospective car shortage,
and in the dock territory which ordin-
arily is much freer from this trouble
than the western all-rail trade, there
are already complaints that sufficient
cars cannot be secured to meet the
loading capacity of the various COM
panies. What the situation will be
thirty days later, when the grain and
merchandise movement is in full
swing in the west, remains to be seen,
but from present indications it is safe
to guess that there will be more de-
lays in getting coal forward promtly
and dealers will have more trouble in
keeping their stocks replenished, after
consumers begin to buy than has been
experienced since the great anthracite
strike.
Producers Expect Higher Prices.
With the car shortage becoming
more or less of factor, producers are
beginning to take more cheerful
view of the situation and particularly
the future. Those who have large
tonnage obligated on contracts are the
Ouly OllSS WHO lSSlcI IllS
to transportation which is occurring
every day and which will become
more important. In some instances
they have little free coal to sell, and
naturally they express regret at any
cause which will interfere with the
operation of their mines on full time.
Those operators who have free coal
to offer are cheerful because it is an.
ticipated that few weeks later prices
will be in better shape than at pres
ent. If the producing companies can
not get out the coal because of lack
of cars, they anticipate that a string
ency in the supply will be created
very quickly and that naturally the
law Of supply and demand in its op-
GRAFTON will advance prices very rap
idly in event there is such shortage
in the supply. Almost any change
that will result in better prices than
those prevailing and those which have
ruled during the summer will be well
coined. 1t is thought that If prices
can once more be restored to some
thing like a reasonable basis they will
continue throughout the winter.
Considers Prospects of Strike.
There is already considerable spec
ulation among western operators and
shippers as to the likelihood of labor
troubles next spring at the expiration
of the present wage contracts. 1t is
almost too early to speculate on what
may occur on April l, inasmuch as
neither side to the present agreement
has any tangible information as to
{1,@ o{1, l-
ness throughout the winter continue
on the basis of present prices for BIZ
luminous coal, there is little question
but what the operators would demand
a further reduction in the wage scale.
They feel the necessity of this owing
to the increasing competition from
the fields where non-union labor is en-
ployed. This tonnage is more of fac
tor in competition with union coal
than it was year ago, and as the
union has made no progress in mem
bers, but rather has lost ground since
the present agreement was signed, op-
orators who are parties to the agree
ment feel such competition keenly and
to protect themselves realize they
must reduce the cost of mining the
coal in some way. The only reason
able manner in which they can secure
a lower cost is to secure reduction
in the wage scale. The miners have
not indicated whether they would &C.
cept such a reduction as might be pro-
posed or not. 1t is doubtful If the mat
ter has been seriously considered by
their officials, but it is almost equally
certain they would resist any further
reduction in the wages. Whether
their resistance would go to the point
Of an open rupture of the present re-
lations existing between the operators
and miners remains to be seen Under
any circumstances there is a feeling
that it might, but to predict that such
will occur at this writing is absolutely
foolish, because negotiations have not
been opened between the two inter,
ests and will not be for four and a
half months to come
The western anthracite trade re-
mains more or less quiet, but.if there
was any volume of business shipping
gents would be hard dressed 10 So