Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-15
SOFT COAL BROKERS
MAY BE ELIMINATED
Garfield's Chief Assistant
Coming Here to Take
Up Problem
MUST HELP PRODUCERS
Price of Anthracite to Consumers
Not Likely to Be Reduced
April

Elimination of the soft-coal broker
as n means Of stimulating production
loomed up today as a strong possibility
with L.. y. Sncad. chief assistant 10
National Fuel Administrator GARFIELD,
scheduled to arrive here tomorrow 10
confer on the Pennsylvania bituminous
situation.
Removal Of the jobbers, who handle
90 per cent of Phladelphia's soft coal.
would allow their profit of fifteen or
twenty cents. n ton to be given 10 the
operators, who have been handicapped
by the severe winter and abnormal dc
mand for coal. II would not affect the
price to the consumer.
~ have, gone on record as faNoring
plan whereby production could De
stimulated without adding TO the burden
Of the consumer" said william Potter
Federal fuel administrator for PcnnsyI-
vania.
Although the hard-coal situation mas
been improved by good weather tne
time is not ripe for price reduction ac-
cording to Francis A. Lewis. chairman
of the Philadelphia coal committee
PRICE SHOULD BE LOWERED
80 many considerations, including tne
Of nXlLg the gross margin t'at
thcrc is no hope for an immediate low
criug, although eventually II shouru w
lowered" he said today, when askeu u
the gross margin of $3.50 allowcu w,
ton of anthracite would be IoW'l'u
Apru / the beginning Of the coal year
The question of coal johbing does NOT
affect the anthracite situation materi-
ally, because only 8 per cent OF 'i''S
city's coal passes through brohcrS
hands.
At Mr.. potters Office today IL was
dcuicd that the object OF Mr.. Shead
visit here was price.hxng, due to eNor'
bitant rates charged by dealers.
"The object is conference not an
inquiry" it was said.
About eighteen violators of the ''tuel-
less" Monday order will appear before
Mr.. Potter today TO present theH 'N,
c,lses for having failed to close las'
/ Monday. Among them are i've Saloon
keepers Mr.. Potter announced that lhc
/ yiolators would be dealt with severely
In the twenty-four hours ended last
midnight the Philadelphia ana lEeau'IR,s TX
/ Railway delivered 1873 cars of domcStlc
anthracite coal with siXty-three ca. .
| aim on hand. They also delivered las
cars Of btuminous coal. ,aa
/ Tho fcnnsylv mia Railroad reported
oOG carloads Of anthracite as dcliNereu
/ hero Yesterday, l2i being Of domestic
sizes and eighty-two steam sizes
1000 HOMES NEED COAL
Figures compiled today At Mr.. Pot
/ t,r's Office showed the results OF the
first day OF police and Emergency Alo
corporation in distributing tons oil haro
coal to homes that need fuel urgently
I'm TO noon yesterday 9S2 requests foi
one-ton orders of coal had been received
lt tho City Hall coal relief station one
third of which have been filled. IL was
estimated that about 1000 homes II
the city still are in need of coal.
The applications, divided into districts
were as follows: West ihlladeIph'a
G3l; South Philadelphia. 1873; Mana
yunk. Falls Of Schuylltill, 32; North
west Philadelphia, 100. md Northcas
Philadelphia, 33. Germantown sent II
no applications Charges of coal steal
ing in Frankford apparently we're borne
out by the small number of requests
made by that section, with Its 5OOt
! homes.
THE Anthracite Bureau of Information
reports that 5,63s,3S3 tons were shipped
In January 1918 and is but 6O,562 tor
decrease on December figures which II
verv good considering the handicaps tht
operators worked under.
The warmer weather has speedec
things up n lot and the yards in thu
anthracite region are expected to be
clear of loaded cars within less thar
week Empty cars are now comint
back to the mines in great numbers anC
traffic conditions are better now thar
at any time since last october