The sun., 1918-10-17
THE ANTHRACITE OPERA
TORS PLIGHT.
A Serious Situation for the Owners Of
Hard Coal Mines.

| nara Goal Mines.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN---Sir: Your
+, editorial article IN THE SrN headed
This Week the Bonds Must Be Sub
| scribed. but Three Weeks From Now
Kitchin Must Co." Enthusiastically
hits the nail squarely on the head. How
can business men In other lines than
munitions and certain preferred fac
tories continue subscribing for Liberty
Loan bonds when their income is reduced
to practically nothing by what cannot
| be fairly regarded as necessary Govern
| ment restrictions?
AS heavy sufferer let me cite my
| own experience as an individual opera
tor and producer of anthracite coal.
universally conceded to be one Of the
prime necessities Of life. shall give
absolute facts and figures, without any
| allowance for special conditions.
We are obliged to sell at the mines
the three sizes OF prepared coal com
| monty In use for domestic purposes
known as egg stove and chestnut for
the average fxed price Ga ton OF 2,240
pounds) of $3.50. This, 10 the average
Individual operator. returns a profit Of
less than twenty cents ton: In some
cases It does not even pay the absolute
cost Of the production. But when this
coal reaches the consumer in any OF
| the anthracite using districts II costs him
more than twice that amount. Why?
As an example. l will give figures OF
Its cost in one Of the largest and most
important districts In Connecticut. not
| hundred miles from New York city.
| They are as follows:
The retailer pays the producer for a
long ton OF 2.2+0 pounds $3.50. The
freight costs him &2.s0 a total Of $50.
Under the price regulations set for
that district by the local fuel admins
traitor he IL allowed to sell this coal
at $11.75, but to this should be added
| the IL per cent. difference between the
net ton that he sells and the gross ton
that he buys, equalling s1.41. making
his total price delivered $l3.l6 and
leaving him a profit OF s4.46. His claim
for wastage cannot be large and the
delivery with the usual self-dumping
trucks should not average over 81 a
| ton, leaving a profit Of at least SO ton.
The anthracite operator usually has
an investment at his plant Of nearly a
million dollars, often more, and what
should not be forgotten Is the fact that
, his entire investment must be repaid
during tho life Of the coal. The holes
he has made in the ground have abso-
lutely no value his breaker and ma
chinery very little more. A few thou
sand dollars obtained for scrap is all
that he can get. on the other hand,
1 Ill 80 ha
coal dealer seldom amounts 10 more
than a few thousands and can ordi-
narily be used as long as the sun shines,
danger from German invasion and van
dalism having happily become unlikely.
| I think very likely the questions will
be asked: why, II this be true, does
the anthracite operator continue bust
ness?" "why does he not demand relief
from the Government" The latter
some have done and are doing unavail-
ingiy thus far. Every item Of cost in
anthracite production has been con-
stantly increasing. and labor, while
vastly dearer. in most cases is not
nearly as efficient as II was. Yet we
cannot stop withou. mourning the risk
OF our operation being taken away from
US, Should the Government carry out
the threat of taking over the plant. the
| result would be in many cases absolute
ruin. Mining cannot be done solely
with the object OF securing an imme-
diate increase OF production without
great danger Of injury from caves and
other results OF hasty work.
| The question will also be asked
How is It that the anthracite produc-
| ton has increased under such condi-
tions?' The answer Is plain. That in
crease has been entirely from rework-
ing OF the old waste or culm piles. most
~ from small sizes heretofore considered
as worthless. Mixed with soft coal and
for certain other purposes. II has for
some time past commanded a good price.
| and made up the great deficiency In
| production that without Il would nave
added to public apprehension of trouble
for lack OF fuel. This fuel is also
carrying some OF the otherwise un-
profitable anthracite collieries "over the
| top" as the cost OF production Is very
slight oompard with fresh mined coal.
But many OF US. like the writer hereof.
have no such sources OF relief. therefore
beg leave to submit to the all power
full public at least the fact that existing
| conditions are absolutely unfair to those
OF US who are obliged to endure. while
nearly all the assets that we have are
being slowly and surely uselessly taken
| from US.
Why not put a fair limit on the SELL
ing price that the retail dealer is al
lowed to charge and remove the restric-
ton on the producer? Then the mine
owners will have to meet It or stop pro-
ducing. as has frequently happened In
pre-war time. EDWARD b. SrURGEs.
New YORK, October 16.