Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-12
SHORTAGE IN COAL
Difficult for Small Dealers
Here to Get Supply.
PRICES NOT YET ADVANCED
Unless Situation Becomes Worse,
Quotations Will Be Stationary.
RETAILERS EXPLAIN SCARCITY
Lack of Cars, Strike, Shortage of
Mine Laborers and Water
Shipments Blamed.
PRICES NOT YET ADVANCED
RETAILERS EXPLAIN SCARCITY

Retail coal dealers. especially the small
| ton and by the bushel. complain that a
serious shortage of certain grades of coal
| exists in Washington. While the retail
| coal men declare that no advance has
yet been made in, prices of coal in small
quantities. they are united in expressing
the belief that unless the existing short
age is soon relieved the price will have to
be increased to the small consumer
| More than a dozen retail coal dealers
in all parts of the city this morning in
formed The Star that it is next to i'm
| possible for them to obtain any stove
size anthracite coal. Practically all of
their customers use this size of coal,
which is bought in small lots.
Stove Coal Is Scarce.
! Other sizes of hard coal, such as egg,
| chestnut and pea coal, are to be had in
| almost any quantities desired, the retail
men said, and the stock of soft coal, of
all grades, is ample for the city's needs.
The shortage appears to be almost al
| together in the stove size of anthracite,
| especially in the white ash coal, although
the dealers questioned stated that red
ash coal in the stove size is also very
scarce. One dealer said this morning
| that at the wholesale yards his order for
today was cut down to four tons of red
ash stove COAL this quantity being alto
gether insufficient for even one days
business, and other dealers reported about
the same state Of affairs.
The shortage u laid to a lack of cars
| for carrying the coal: last springs stri ie
in the anthracite mining regions short
age in mine laborers due to the fact that
thousands of foreigners who worked IN
the mines returned to the Balkans during
the summer and fall to take part in the
war against Turkey, and TO the heavy
| shipments being made by water to the
west and northwest Several of the deal
| ers say they have been told that as soon
as lake transportation closes by reason
| of the freezing over of the great lakes
coal that is now going westward will be
| sent east, and the incipient famine will
| be relieved. Just how soon this will be no.
| body can say.
May Cause Hardship.
| The present shortage, while it has
| caused no actual suffering yet, is likely
to result in considerable hardship, the re-
tail men say. Most of the families that
buy of the smaller dealers are those who
| use only stoves to heat their homes, and
these persons in most cases buy coal in
| small quantities. having no reserve to
fall back on. These families will be COM
| PEELED shortly. the dealers say, to use
! soft coal in their stoves or to do without
fires
Large dealers say they are having no
trouble in procuring sufficient coal from
i the mines to meet the demands of their
| regular trade. though they are in many
| instances cutting down on the size OF
| orders. No new customers are being
served, several Of the larger dealers re-
| port.
| No advances in prices have been made
| because of the shortage. these dealers
| say, and they are unanimous in declaring
that none will be made unless the short
age becomes much more pronounced than
| at present.