Evening journal., 1919-08-14
PLENTY OF COAL IF
MINERS KEEP BUSY
Have Taken Twelve 10 l.
days, Enough to Have
Made Up Shortsgs
WANT BUYERS TO
GIVE ORDERS NOW

There is every reason TO believe that
there will be sufficient supplies OF an
lhracite for domestic use next winter
provided there is no marked dimlnutiOn
OF labor supply. and also provided that
next winter is not 0f undue severity
and that consumers continue TO spread
their orders so The mines may work
steadily during favorable weather,
reads statement from the Anthracite
Bureau of Information. received by
the Broslus and Smedley Company,
coal dealers OF this city. "A con-
tinuous 0ow OF coal from the mines
is the best guarantee against any short
age next winter, and a continuous How
OF coal depends upon continuous pur-
chasing.
Miners are taking more holidays this
year than they did during the war. The
total number OF generally observed hol-
idays. this year. from April to June
30 was i2; last year there were in
The same period. The lost output for
these three extra holidays would nearly
have made mp the 10000 tons decrease
in shipments Of domestic sizes. Local
celebrations in honor OF returning sol
der have been numerous. and have had
the effect Of reducing output by shut
ting down temporarily the nearby
mines. or at least diminishing the work
ing force.
Coal consumers. who last year took
any domestic size they could get, are
more discriminating this year. They
want chiefly nut. egg and stove sizes.
Pea coal has been neglected and is go
ing into storage There are consider
able tonnages Of pea coal. which Is
nrst-class range fuel and even useful In
furnaces. available for Immediate ship
ment. A. the result NJ temporary In
difference 10 this size. the amount In
storage at the end Of January approx
imaiely 5000 tons. grew 10 approNl-
mately 2i3.OOO tons by the end Of March
and TO about 10000 tons by the end OF
June.
Anthracite prices have advanced less,
SO far as the operator and wholesaler
are concerned. than almost any other
commodity entering into daily life This
statement applies 10 The whole period
since the European war began. There
is no large industry yielding less aver
age return on the capital invested IN "
than the mining of anthracite
white ash nut coal in the week of
February %. 1919. sold for $500 ton
ai the mines. In the week of July ~.
1919. tho circular rate was sG ~ at the
mine. an increase Of Z 81 per cent lf n
advances 10 $50 by september I. IL VIII
be SOC per cent. higher Than in ihc
week of February 90 Tho index price
Of thiriy-one foodstuffs. as reported by
Bradstreers was $50 in Tho week ~
February 20. In the week of July ~
the index was S5.22, an increase or 1871
per cent. over February 20 and isi per
cent. greater than in The corresponding
week of 1915
During. February and March of ms
wear. when trade was dun owing 70 the
mild winter and 10 The fact that people
had generally stocked up as much as
possible in 1918. a considerable tonnage
OF the larger domestic sizes nut. Stove
and eeg-was stored. After April ( this
coal began 10 move from The storage
Yards and its place has been taken
largely by steam sizes. which have not
been moving freely. 70 is these piles oi
steam coal which constitute the noun
fains Of coal in unofficial reports from
.thq coal region. The largest noun
tain in SchuylkiH county. where these
reports emanaie. is a stock yard with
about 100000 tons capacity"