The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-11-20
IllE NAYPUBIG GAN
REDUCE COAL BILL
Purchases During Spring
and Summer Would
Help All.
sy AMEpEE j. CASEY,
Editor, American Coal Journal.

Editor. American Coal Journal.
The public will have to pay more for
is coal as a result of the higher wages
{ which will have to be paid for mine
labor hut lust how much more the cost
viii be depends to a very large extent
Z apor the public itself. In other words,
1.-THE public will change its habits and
distribute its buying orders over the
year ID order that the mines may be
sept in steady operation, the percent
re OF increase will be smaller than IT
Win be IL the present custom Of buy~
hg late in the year Is continued
AZ matters have gone for great
many years, the sustained full time
production Of coal, particularly in the
bituminous fields, has been impossi-
Sic. This has not been due entirely
o the buying habits Of the public, but
Ehese have been the principal cause OF
The suspension Of mining operations.
You see, once the cold weather is
over, people not unnaturally lose in
terest in coal. Until recently, the con-
sumer has been able to obtain a sup
ply OF fuel whenever he needed it, so
Why, he argued, should h9 bother
about laying in supply during the
summer, especially as by doing so, ne
would tie up money that he might
want to use for other purposes The
fact that by buying his coal during
the slack season, he would be insured
against any possible interruption of
supply did not appeal to him. He
had always been able to get coal when
he wanted 1t and there was nothtE.S
In his experience to warrant the belief
that this condition would change.
Then the war came along and there
was trouble with the coal supply. We
had an unusually severe winter when
It was not only too cold to work in th5
mines, but 1t was impossible to main
tain efficient distribution of coal ow.
ing to the blocking OF the railroads
and waterways by snow and ice.
This led to an awakening on the
part Of a small portion of the public
and there came more demarI for coal
during the spring and summer months.
The movement was not sufficiently
heavy to make a great deal OF differ
ence, however.
The result has been that from 1915
to 1916, according to government sta.
tistics, the operation OF bitgnllnous
coal mines has ranged from 1876 to 49,
days out of possible 80 working
days. In 1917 the mines worked 243
days and in 1918, under the abnormal
conditions brought about by the war,
Z 24s days.
One of the conditions about which
the bituminous miners complain is
that they get only a few days work
( week during the spring and summer
and then have to, work seven days a
week during the winter because the
public will not buy in manner to
permit continuous operation Of tie
mines This, OF course, runs into ever
time and adds to the cost OF produc-
ton. 1t has been argued by the Cnin-
formed that production should be
maintained during the slack season in
order to take care of the later de-
mand, but bituminus coal does not
lend itsNf to quantity storage and the
vast tonnage that would be required
when the public got good and ready to
place its orders, would not only be
menace owing to its liability to spon-
taneous combustion, but would re-
qlire more storage space than Is avail
able and would eat its head off N in.
terest which, eventually, the consumer
would have to pay.
Another thing to be considered is
transportation. Under normal Condi-
tons, there is a plentiful supply Of
open top cars during the spring and
summer, but later in the year, wheI
the crops begin to move, the supply
81 cars available for coal is greatly
chftailed and the congestion of traf-
dc makes the movement Of freight diff
eicult. In the winter there is rail-
road congestion and difficult deliv-
cry due to snow and ice. All Of these
things add to the cost of the coal.
1t is illegal for mine operators to
make any agreement to raise or lower
prices. The suggestion has been made,
however, that the government could
establish or, at any rate, permit the
establishment Of a sliding scale of
prices, based on the season and the
cost Of production and marketing in
the various sections of the country and
that, operating within this scale, the
producers could make prices each in
his particular field, which would en-
courage summer buying and thus
equalize production and the cost Of
doing business.
But, as said above, the price Of
coal to the consumer must be in
creased with any increase in the wages
Of niaN d0Aers. IL the public will
bTy Its coal during the months OF COM
paratively easy production and trans
portation, the increase will be less
than will be the case Of the present
custom is continued.