Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-22

| the car situation and see what IT Is. We
| lose two days week through the railroads
| failure to provide cars. We could load
| from rs to 40 per cent more cars than are
| obtainable. The steel companies have ad-
| vanced their price for steel rails from 81 8
| TO $50 ton and get the cars. We have to
| supply the mills with coal, but we can't get
| the cars"
| President Wilson's announcement. which
| in dollars and cents, means that the coal
| producers of Pennsylvania stand to obtain
some 5000, ,O00.O 900 less for their coal this
year than II the present prices were con-
tinued, was naturally received locally with
grave concern. II was pointed out that
l69,123,Sl4 tons Of bituminous coal were
mined in Pennsylvania In 1915, the greatest
record since that OF 1919 and which ex-
ceeded that Of 1915 by 1l,703,74G tons. An
even larger output for this year has been
expected II efforts are made by the oper-
ators Of this state 10 reduce the wages paid
to miners. upward of $4,000 operatives
will be affected, It was said.
The So rate fixed for run-of-mine soft
coal will fall most heavily on the smaller
operators. II was said Of whom there are
nearly 800. Virtually l00.00O.OOO tons out
Of the 1s9, 900, 900 tons taken out of the
mines in 1916 was produced by thirty-one
concerns. each of which mined more than
900 900 tons
Many concerns sought a ray OF comfort
in the reflection that the bulk Of their out
put has already been sold under contract,
and they refused to believe that repudia-
ton of these contracts would be ordered by
the Government.
The situation in this state Is like in
Illinois, where, according to r. NJ. Irwin
OF the O'Gara Coal Company Chicago, IS
per cent of the coal output is under con-
tract and will not be affected by the new
price Levi Mayer, of the Illinois State
-, ti,,,at tad hnNV
that the Government schedule would mean
n saving of $7O,00O,000 annually In that
State.
at costs some operators close to $3.50 a
ton to get their coal out of the mines.'
said Joseph NJ. O'Brien. assistant sales
manager of the keytone Coal Coke
Company, but others, big operators like
ourselves can, think, meet the 81 schedule
all right
I'VE will have a margin which will hold
us all right, | think. But | suppose that
there will be many smaller concerns which
will be closed out. If they should be. that
will not curtail the States production, how
ever. II may even help it, Their mines
must continue to be worked by others. who
will be able to keep the production cost
down.
LABOR THE BIG PROBLEM
1.-The big problem Is. of course. the labor
problem. The miners are certainly get
ting theirs They have demanded their
share when higher prices prevailed. and |
don't believe they will agree to a reduction
OF wages even II the prices are cut One
operator tells me that it costs him close to
S15O ton merely for the labor, and not
including overhead expenses. our labor
cost Is probably-although this is only
guess on my part--not more than sl,25 a
ton.
The new governmental schedules will
probably hit very heavily at the numerous
small coal brokerage Offices that have come
up like mushrooms recently in order to grab
the spot coal business. They are the deal
ers who have caused much Of the trouble
at Washington.
But 1t is a little early TO give any |
definite opinion on the new schedule 1t
Is not known whether the new rates are 10 |
go Into effect at once or at some future !
date. And the President says that they are |
provisional One operator here believes |
that the order was issued simply as a |
Teller | do not. But don't regard IT |
as exactly fair, In that It does not make any |
as to the quality of coal |
That is point that must be threshed out
Some coal is being sold which might be
swept up off the street. II isn't worth fifty |
cents ton, Other coal is well worth So
But the new order will not be worth
much unless It can be enforced. The agree
ment entered into by operators to sell at
SO hasn't been kept by many. You couldn't |
have bought twenty carloads of coal at So |
since It went into effect"
An official of the Berwind- White Coal !