New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-24
Profit in Suspension.

The situation offers still another ker-
mel Of profit 10 the operators. II has
been assumed all along, naturally
enough. that the suspension for nearly
two months Of active mining meant
loss 20 the operators as well as TO the
miners, but Yesterday members of the
Retail Dealers Association figured that
This Suspension had. on the contrary.
further enriched the operators They ex-
rlained that the sales Of coal had been
as great as If there had been no suspen-
sion. the reserve stocks being drawn
upon. while because Of the suspension
end uncertainty for the future, the oper-
ators had refused To grant the usual
summer discounts in domestic sizes.
These discounts. if allowed, would have
been 20 cents a ton during April and 40
cents a ton for May. AS II is. no dis
count is 10 he allowed until the June
purchases begin.
1T looks as if every strike or suspen-
sion Of work was a source of extra profit
TO the operators" said one Of these re-
tailers. THE consumer pays for the ad
ditional expense resulting from the in
evitable wage increase; he pays also a
handsome bonus TO the operator for his
generosity TO the miner. and above and
bevond all this he hands TO the former
cne two months of velvet for the anxiety
which the demands of the miner has
caused him"
The Coal Merchants Association
which takes in the entire retail coal
trade, held special melting yesterday
afternoon AT No. 30 West street, 10 con-
slider the situation in the anthracite
trade. Nearly the entire trade was rep
resented.
II was announced after the meeting
that circular would he received from
the agents OF the coal companies to- day
announcing the new prices, which will be
an advance of % cents ton over 1911
prices in the case of egg, nut, stove,
chestnut and pea sizes. The June reduc-
tion Of 80 cents a ton will go into effect
in the domestic sizes. When the dealers
receive the notice to-day they will add
the advances TO the retail prices and in
No Change in Steam Sizes.
The advances have not been made on
the steam sizes-buckwheat Nos. /. 2
and 3 Pea coal though regarded as one
of the steam sizes. is sometimes used as
domestic coal 1t has been scarce. how
ever, for some time. There was some
doubt yesterday as to whether II would
be advanced in price. The advance may
also involve broken anthracite, the larg-
est prepared size.
Arthur f. Rice commissioner Of the
Cosl Merchants Association, said, after
Yesterdays meeting:
The retail merchants have no hand in
determining what the price OF coal may
Re They are the distributing agents,
and the prices are fixed by the selling
agencies OF the companies and the
wholesalers The steam sizes compete
with soft coal for steam purposes, which
is probably one reason why the price Is
rot advanced In these sizes. When the
suspension took place there was fair
stock Of coal, but IT is now nearly ex-
hausted one OF the objects OF the meet
ing to-day was To permit the dealers to
get In touch with one another to discuss
the situation and the present supply
which Is very small"
The eight railroads which are now dic-
tating the price Of anthracite to the
country are the Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad, the Central Railroad Of New
jersey, the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the
Delaware Lackawanna and western; {;
the Erie, which controls the New YORK.
Susquehanna and Western; the Della
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