Evening journal., 1919-09-11
NO COAL SHORTAGE,
OPERATORS ASSERT
Anthracite Producers Give
Assurance to Senate Com
mittee Of Full Supply
MINERS WANT SHORTER
DAY, HIGHER PAY

WASHINGTON, Sept ti.-Assurances
Of the most posltivei character were
given yesterday By snlhrsciie operators
that there was no reason 10 expect any
thing but a full supply oi hard coai
next winter. These assurances took ihe
form Of testimony given 10 the sub-com-
miiiee of the senate interstate commerce
committee investigating the general coal
situation.
n was testified that there is not and
has not been any car shortage in the
anthracite territory: that the labor
supply. though below what used 10 be
considered normal a few years ago, is
imnroving as men come back from war
and war industries: that there seems
10 be less time lost by workers since
prohibition came into force. ana that
there are even now ample supplies avail
able in pea coal. which is a domestic
size. and i'm the smaller sizes OF anthra-
cite. which are used almost entirely as
steam fuel
Witnesses Included Captain Tctow'
ststistican for the United Mine Work
ers: 4. : Learoyd assistant to the
rresidenl OF the Lchigh Coal and Navi-
cation Company, the oldest anthracite
producer: A. c. Dodson, president ot
Weston, Dodson & Co., Inc, and W. j.
THOMPSON. secretary Of the Anthracite
Coal OuratOrs Association. which is
comnosed Of individual producers. Ad-
ditionai testimony on a few points was
given bv :. d. Warriner, president OF
Inc Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com
many. and w ]. Richards, president OF
the Philadelphia and Reading Coal ana
Iron Company.
Mr. Learoyd was asked by senator
Frelinghuysen. the chairman, to eX-
plain why a man who wrote IN from
New Brunswick. paid S6i9 Tor Stove
coal and Sass for pea coal in 1919. whlle
today's prices are 5000 and $50 re-
spectively. Mr.. LearOyd explained mat
The operators. as such, were direclly
concerned with no prices but prices at
the mine. or, at the most, the prices tor
coal in bulk delivered on tHe dealer
,resile lie wished to make a general /
statement embracing production dlstrl-
hutton. labor and costs, and TO do thls'
nresented twenty tabulatons Of figures |
He showed that the production OF
ogr stove and nut this year from April
to July 81. exceeds the record OF the
Same period in the last normal year
iqie nv about 10000 tons. and is only
hehind last year. the record 100000
tons matter OF about two days out
nut OF the hard-coal region.
He also showed that there was more
than 100000 tons Of pea coal In storage /
and available for immediate shipment
Total production OF this coal year shows |
steady increase from 3. SCOOP tons IN
April io 6.i70i9S tons in July, with the
preliminary figures for August showing
a stin greater increase on the basis OF
production so far, he said, the total es-
iimated available supply for the coal
wear. which began April 1. 1919. would
he lust a trifle under 5i.Oo0COO tons OF
nea coal and larger. against actual ship
menis Of less than 52OO0,000 tons in the
coal year which ended March 81. 1917.
In a table including shipments by
every anthracite producer except one, |
he showed that between April 1 and
Iulv n. of this year. the District Of Co /
lumbia had received 1924 tons Of an
thracite. pea coal and larger. against I
total shipments Of ISL, $50 tons for one
third Of the coal year April T. 1918, TO I
March 81 1919 On the same basis
Nelg York New Jersey. Delaware and
other states are ahead Detailed figures I
for forty towns and cities from New
England to Chicago. showed the same !
situation. The total number of em-
ployes he gave as ii9,90i in July, against I
an average Of i76,9SO in 1915, and i63i12 /
in 1911
Wages. he showed. using his own
company for the comparison, have been |
advanced from 40 per cent 10 81 per |
cent. according 90 the class OF employe, |
since April T. 1916 contract miners av-
eraging si79.25 for a mOlth Of twenty
FIVE working days His company. he
said. had actually been losing money
on coal mining this year. owing to the
sudden change from war TO peace.
He also offered a detailed statement
showing that deposits in the banks in /
territory worked by the Philadelphia /
and Reading Company had increased /
from S29.5O0,OO0 in 1915. TO Si9500000 in |
1919. exclusive Of heavy purchase OF
Liberty Bonds
Mr.. Dodson said there were about
sixty concerns, with 40 washeres, /
sheds and collieres in his organization. |
Mr.. LearOyd had previously explained
that an increase OF fifty cents ton on
domestic sizes in the form OF ten cents
a month. from May to September. in
elusive as the fuel administration al
lowances to cover wage increases had
not been sufficient to meet the actual
increase in costs so that many COM
panies, his own among them. had op-
Grated at an actual loss last December.
Mr. Dodson confirmed this. and refer
ence was made to Doctor Garflclds
statement, that the prices set for coal
had been too low by perhaps as much
as nifty cents a ton. Mr. D0dson ex-
planned that under fuel administration
rule, the individuals. owing to greater
costs, had been allowed seventy-flye
cents a ton more than the railroad
companies, which differental had been
lost in the slump OF last winter after
the fuel administration let 20.
Questioned by Senator Frelinghuysen.
he said that since September 4, some of
the independents, in addition to the fifty
cents. had been asking for this differen-
tial. wholly or in part. He said he had
heard some went much higher. but
could not give the name OF any company
charging as much as $40 over the