Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-03-12
COAL SCARS HIGH IN ITALY
Price Has Reached Almost Prohibi'
tive Figure Now of Forty
Dollars a Ton.
BEYOND REACH OF THE POOR


Correspondence Of the Associated Press)
ROME, Nov. oO.-Coal Is 80 ton In
Italy, and continues 10 soar. IL went up
$40 ton in one week. This has become
A serious, and might become a decisive.
war factor. so far as Italy is concerned,
for coal is the fundamental element OF
Italian industry and commerce. moving
the railways, running the factories and
keeping up such public utilities as cleo
trio light and power plants. gas and
water works, street railways and tram
ways. as we'll as for household heating
and cooking. not only in Rome. but all
over Italy.
Such a phenomenal rise in the price OF
coal has never before been known To
Italy the shortage is serious chiefly be-
cause Italy possesses no coal mines OF
its own at home or in the African colo
MES. so there is no outlook for getting
supply except from abroad, and the for
elgn supply is In the hands of the enemy
OF taxed to its utmost capacity Tor It's
own needs. While there was no war Italy
needed no coal fields Of It's own. as the
French and Belgian fields we're near at
hand. But now the French coal fields
OF Pas do Calais and those OF Belgium
have passed into control OF Germany
tho ally OF Austria, with whom Italy Is
at war. similarly Austria stretches as
a barrier between the Polish coal fields
and Italy. SO that about the only supply
left for Italy 10 England, where the
welsh coal fields are hardly equal to the
demand OF England's own factories and
navy, and its nearby ally France, with
out also supplying Italy's needs. And Sc
coal is mounting-ss some time ago; theI
$40. then si5. then So SIS. $50. and now
$40 ton.
People no longer buy coal by the ton
but by the bag, and bag Of coal whicf
can be swung over the shoulder costs u
This means, OF course, that poor people
can no longer buy coal and can no Longer
keep warm. except as the mild ltaliaI
climate may help them. But the climate
does not help the railways and factories
and industrial Italy is the worst suffere
from coal shortage and excessive price
There has even been talk, since ltal.
IL not at war with Germany. of gettinI
coal from Germany. and for the possiol
exchange OF some other articles OF mu
tual need. Importing coal from Japan
also being considered, but the transpor
tation cost Is so great that Japanese Goa
would probably not bring the price dow
much In Italy. Wood as substitute
} out of the question. for Italy's tree an
: timber supply Is practically exhausted
, and even punches OF twigs and fagot
have become a luxury at high price.
The leading hotels at Rome have poste
, a notice stating that owing to the hig
l price OF coal the Association OF Hot
Keepers has agreed to charge each gue'
Ira GO cents) per day for the hotel
expense for coal. This Is in the lara
. and important hotels known to Amer
: cans, where no such requirement hs
ever before prevailed. A family Of fiV
thus pays $50 extra per month for u
share OF the hotels coal.
American coal shippers have been urge
to enter the Italian field. But scarei'
OF ships and the high cost Of transports
tion-due to the dangers OF coal as col
a trahand of war-are said TO stand In Il
:, way OF relief from that quarter. SO th
\, one of the effects of the European vi
y Is to make the high price OF coal a Wit
question for Italy, and the absence
:, any apparent remedy is even mo
!. serious question.