The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-16
ANTHRACITE COAL
SHIPMENTS DROP
June Tonnage 1857 Less
Than in May, and 181,368
Under June in 1917.
INCREASE FOR 8 MONTHS
Only Three Roads Show Gains
in Transportation Because
Of Scarcity Of Labor.
INCREASE FOR 8 MONTHS

PHRApEIPHiA. July 15.-The ship
ments Of anthracite for June and the
three months ended June 80. according 10
a statement issued to-day by the Anthra-
cite Bureau Of Information. show that so
far as total tonnage Is concerned the out:
put Is being maintained. The June total
was s,s67.66s long tons. against $751;
25s in May and 7.o4s.037 in June OF
last year In other words. the June
shipments, with twenty-five working
days. were only 1887 tons less than
in May and 1s1.3es less than In June.
Ing days numbered twenty-six.
In the first three months of the pres
ent coal year. which began April l. the
total shipments have amounted to co.
123,29S tons, as compared with 1863
SS1 tons for the corresponding period IN
1917. indicating an Increase of b64,437
tons. The shipments OF steam coal, a
goodly proportion Of which is recovered
from culm banks and all Of which COM
petes with bituminous for factory use.
Increased 660.345 tons, or more than 10
per cent. The shipments OF prepared
sizes, the kind the individual uses in his
home furnace. showed a loss of s5,s0S
tons from 13.375,7S7 tons in 1917 10
13.27s,ss9 tons in 1918.
The figures therefore, for the indi-
vidual who wishes this winter to avoid
last seasons fuelless Mondays and other
heatless days to watch are those which
show the output OF prepared sizes Of
individual roads. In this direction the
Lehigh Valley leads all other roadt.
During the present coal year or Sthe
three months ended June 80 this road
handled 2.646,491 tons of the domestic
sizes, which was 1o2.607 more than II
carried in the same period last year. and
343.06i more than was carried by its
next nearest competitor, the Reading.
In fact, Lehigh Valley gained 102607
tons in the prepared sizes. while the
combined shipments of the eight other
80 called anthracite roads fell of 1875, SIS
tons.
Z. E. Loomis. president OF the Lei Ugh
Valley Railroad Company and OF the
Lehigh Valley Coal Company. said to-
day that the records achieved by mines
under his direction had been made posi-
Bile only n rough the most intensive work
on the part Of the men. He added: We
have fought the labor shortage with ap-
peals to the men to work harder to make
up for II cir fellows who are in the army
and navy. in the munition factories and
elsewhere. We also have made patri-
otto drive and that 1t is bearing fruit.
that we are able to hold our own under
present conditions. is most encoura ging."
Although anthracite production as a
wi ole fell of 1s1. 1853 tons in June. the
Lehigh Valley. according to the anthra-
cite bureaus statement. carried more
anthracite than II did the previous June.
more than any other railroad carried,
and 81 owed a larger gain over last June
than any other line. Because OF the
labor shortage In the anthracite region
only three lines were able to show In
creased shipments. Leigh Valley up
5,615 tons. Ontario and Western asa
tons and Reading 3.7o9 tons. The ef-
feet OF the labor scarcity is being felt
increasingly, and this is shown by the
general falling off In the shipments OF
domestic sizes. practically all OF which
are from fresh mined coal.
The only remedy, as coal men see It, is
to increas sc the output OF each miner, and
the Lehigh Valley, which obtained re-
suits from its patriotic drive, is under
stood to have applied some original
methods to stimulate production. For
example. the thermometers which have
been used to enlarge bond sales. have
been applied to mining output. II a man
absents himself from a mine he is shown
by other miners what tie company's out
put would have been had he been at
work and a healthy competition for 100
per cent. efficiency has been inaugurated
between the different collieries. TIE
harm and lack OF patriotism shown by
the Stacker Is easily demonstrated in a
form which appeals to the miner. and
as Mr.. LOOMS put 1t. the patriotic drive
Is bearing fruit"