Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-01
NO COAL SHORTAGE
SEEN FOR WINTER
Anthracite Information Bureau
Urges Continuous Purohas-
ing to Help Conditions
MINERS TAKE HOLIDAYS

The Anthracite Bureau of Informa-
ton, of this city, says there is every
reason to believe that there will be suf
ficient supplies of anthracite for do
mestic use next winter. provided there
is no marked diminution of labor sup
ply, that next winter is not of undue
severity and that consumers spread
their orders so the mines may work
steadily during favorable weather.
A continuous flow of coal from the
mines is the best guarantee against any
shortage next winter. and n continuous
flow of coal depends upon continuous
purchasing the statement says.
Total shipments of anthracite for
the first three months of the current
coal year, beginning April l. were 49,
556, ,221 tons, against 15.713. .65S tons
in the corresponding period of the last
normal year, 1916, an increase of more
than 100000 tons.
The coal years, beginning April /
are the only periods from which ac-
curate production and consumption
comparisons can be made. Coal mined
in January, February and March of this
year. for instance, belongs to last
winter and was burned last winter. Any
loss of output in January does not
affect supplies after April 1. The prin-
cipal decrease in this calendar year was
in February and March, and it was due
to the abnormally mild winter which
enabled householders, who had bought
heavily last summer and fall, to go
through the whole season without addi-
tional purchases and even, in some
cases, to have some coal left over and
available for next winter.
Total shipments for April, May,
June in the years 1916, 1917, 1918 and
1919 have been 15,713,G5S tons, 10, -
55s,S61 tons, 20, 1923 ,29S tons and 16,
556,221 tons respectively. The ap-
parent falling off this year is about
100000 tons, but most of this ap-
parent decrease is due to the falling off
in the production of steam sizes from
washeries which contributed con-
siderable tonnage in 1917 and 1918.
1.-THE actual falling off in shipments
of domestic sizes, that is pea coal and
larger, is about 900. 900 tons for the
first quarter of this coal year as COM
pared with 1918.
Miners Take Holidays
miners are taking more holidays
this year than they did during the war;
The total number of generally observed
holidays this year, from April 1 to June
80, was twelve; last year there were
nine in the same period. The lost out
put for these three extra holidays would
nearly have made up the 900 600 ton
decrease in shipments of domestic sizes
Local celebrations in honor of return
ing soldiers have been numerous, and
have had the effect of reducing output
by shutting down temporarily the near
by mines or at least diminishing the
working force.
Goal 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
going into storage. There are consider
able tonnages of pea coal, which is a
first class range fuel and even useful in
s furnaces, available for immediate ship
ment. AS the result of temporary in
difference to this Size the amount in
storage at the end of January, ap-
proximatey $4,000 tons, grew to ap-
proximately 213, 900 tons by the end of
March and to about 800 900 tons by the
end Of June.