The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-03

anything, practically, On the contrary,
the forces at the mines were largely
reduced. 1t was said that this reduc-
lion was because the men quit work in
spite of the efforts of the companies to
retain them and keep on with the full
production of the mines. Then all at
once we were confronted with the
proposition that there was hardly
coal enough TO meet the current de
mand, let alone providing any for stor-
age, And there was an absolute raise
In price instead of rebate. AT the
same time it is probable that
this current demand included con
siderable purchases for storage. From
what we can hear a good many people
must have stored coal in amounts
which, in the aggregate, would be large
We hope this is true, and that the coal
stored will be found to be much in
advance of the quantity which the
dealers have reckoned.
The Grass Creek coal mines can un-
doubtedly be opened SO as to produce
very large quantities of coal The coal
also Is of fair quality, It will take
some time, however, to open these
mines to their full producing capacity,
because for some years past they have
suffered from neglect. The coal product
has come mainly from the railroad com.
pany's mines direct, 10 the neglect of
the Grass Creek and other mines that
IN
BILE producers.
The situation has threatened from
time to time to be very grave indeed.
If it is true that the utmost efforts at
the mines 10 produce coal only result
in barely meeting the summer demand,
what would be the prospect of anything
like filing of the demand for coal
when winter comes on? We have had
some coal shortages in the past two
years, and that of last year was nota.
bly, severe; but that was nothing com
pared with the shortage TO be expected
at the opening of the coming winter,
IN case no more coal could be supplied
than would do for the actual summer
consumption. But, as we have lndl-
Gated, probably this summer consump-
tiun includes considerable quantities of
coal stored to meet the winter demand.
II this proves TO be true, as we believe
it is, then perhaps we shall not have
so much of shortage as a good many
anticipate, AT the same time, we do
not advise any one to rely upon this;
on the contrary, our counsel is that
everyone who has coal~storage capacity
should fill that capacity to the utmost,
so as to be prepared for the worst.
Those who have facilities for storing
their full winter supply Of coal should
proceed to fill up their coal-houses or
coal lbins as they can do so from time
to time, and so be independent of any
contingency when the cold weather
comes on. II is not good year to
take any chances on coal All should
buy, and buy freely, storing up TO the
utmost extent possible. And this in
itself will have a powerful tendency to
eliminate any expected coal famine,
because with plenty Of coal on hand
there will be little demand from the
householders at the time winter opens.
And while the coal situation is by no
means an ideal one, as long as this rem.
edy of coal shortage is possible, there
is ut least a way to avoid the famine,
and that way should be taken advan-
tage Of to the fullest extent, with.
out any unnecessary delay.