The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1912-03-13
PRICE OF COAL
BOOKED TO RISE
Will Scenes of a Decade Acc
Be Re-enaCted?
UNCERTAINTY IN SITUATION
Mills Store Large Quantities Of Coal
IN Anticipation of Labor Troubles.
English and German Situation
Cause to Foreign Demand.

Pittsburgh, Pa.-Prices of coal, both
hard and soft, are expected to reach
an unprecedented figure within he
next lew weeks. Uncertainty exists
as to whether there viii be trouDie
with the miners April /, when exist.
ing wage contracts expire. This has
led raihoads and mills throughout me
country to store large quantities OF
bitumnous and anthracite coal. Last
week Iun of mne coal sold at $3.50
ton in Pittsburgh, a jump of 40
GEMS. Furnace coke at the ovens
took leap from S1.75 and S1.80 a ton
to 81.
The demand for coal at present is
said TO far exceed the supply In ad-
d.tion to the threatened strike OF min.
elu, the northwest has experienced a
coal famine, due to a paralysis of
transportation facilities resulting from
frozen lakes and snowbound ualhs.
Dealers say the labor troub in Eng.
laad and possible trouble in Germany
have also increased the demand,
which had the effect OF raising prices.
Within the next two weeks dea ers
will know whether the operators and
miners can reach an amicab.e settle
ment of wage scales. This week in
New York, representatives of 10000
Glthracite miners will meet operators.
fhe workers are asking an increase in
pay OF 20 per cent. 1t is understood
The miners would be willing to accept
a leduct on from this figure.
Representatives of bituminous oper-
atOls ana miners in Western Penn
sylyan.a, Chic, I!lionis and Indiana
VIII meet in the Hollenden hotel,
Cleveland, o., March 20. The miners
want a flat rate increase of 10 per
cent. II any agreement can be reach
ed at ihis conference it is thou 5ht
there VIII be no danger at labor CON
lilcts in other states when wage con-
tracts expire.
Fo lowing the conference between
bituminous operators and workers,
President John p White of the ln,er-
Gauonal un.on, United Mine Workers,
will call a meeting of representative
OF a scale committees of the different
d.stlicts. d This will be held in Cleve-
land on Marcn 20.
Each bituminous district has scale
committee. These committees were
authorized at the recent intarnationa
convention in indianapolis, Ind, to ne
gotiate a wage scale subject to the ap
proval or the workers themselves.
Should the operators and the work
ers at the first conference arrive at an
nrrr.g -, 10 hn mol tAT
wi then be submitted to the scale
comm ttee representatives. If it re
Ceives their 20. k. the scale viii
next he aced before the miners at
general meeting for their ratification
In case no agreement is reached, the
miners will outline policy 10 govern
the United Mine Workers and decide
whether or not they will resume work
April /.
hon and steel industries in the
Pittsburgh district have aid in big
supplies of coke. Most OF the mills
own their own coal mines, and the op-
eration of the plants would not be al
fected if the men were to walk out.
Such condition m ght, however,
make it more profitable for the indus
tries to sell the coal on the open mar
ket than use it themselves.
Should no agreement be reached II
is probable the railroads which need
vast quantities of coal would seize a
fuel on the tracks, as they did ten
years ago.
Should the anthracite miners quit
and the b'tuminous miners continue
work, dealers expect a heavily increas-
ed demand for soft coal. During the
last anthracite trouble, many consum
ers became accustomed to using the
soft variety, and from that time there
was a permanent increase in the de
mand for bituminous.