Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-06-28
YOUR COAL NOW
DeaIers Warn Of Scarcity And
Higher Prices Likely Later
SHORTAGE rs PREDICTED.

SHORTAGE rs PREDICTED
You would be public benefactor
said the head az the coal hrm Of Robb
Combs co., II 4 representative Of the
Capital, II You Will impress upon your
readers the necessity for placing their
orders for next winters coal now,
with their respective denlers 4
There promises TO be q scarcity o.
coal and higher prices. and another
winters shortage is forseen.
This applies equally to anthracite
coal. the kind used Ii the average
home, and TO the consumers Of soft
coal. whether they buy In large Or
small quantities.
Ii is declared by those who supply
the coal that IL the demand Is put Of
too long and Ii the orders come with
rush al the time when the fuel IS
needed most urgently there may be
difaculfy In filling the demand. Then
the dealers may be swanped with only
limited amount of coal, and Ia that
event the price IS bound to take q
Jump. This may work a hardship,
but ii is d matter which the dealers
are powerless to prevent.
Coal like ali otheT commercial com
Aodities, Id dependant on the supply
and demand for the price Unless con-
aumers take immediate steps to have
their wants filled the chances are that
later IN the year they will have TO
pay from IS cents to SO cents ton
more for fuel
Railroads Are Taxed
These conditions have been brought
TO public attention frequently In the
last few months. The railroads have
only d limited amount Of rolling
stock to divert to the hauling Of coal
This Is being used now to It's capac.
ity Ia stocking up dealers. but the
roads are bcing able to bring n only
snllcient coal To meet the orders al
ready placed or the contract require
ments, In the case Of soft coal
Comparatively few or the coal mines
are working to capacity. either In the
soft or hard coal fields. This Is due
largely to the lack Of miners, Any
of whom were drawn into war ~ vice
and have not yet gotten hack to eir
regular av0catiOn II this cond lon
should continue long or IL any on.
siderable number of miners sliSuld
fail to SO back, It can only result in 9
lessened supply Of coal.
Hard coal ID now at about the cheap
UT price which will prevail during
the year Retail dealers are filling the
orders which have been given them.
They recognize that these are eompar-
atiyely light. ID view OF the growing
population Of the city.
Warning Prom Association
The following, from the American
Coal Journal, leading coal trade
paper which keeps close tab on the
movement Of this commodity, Will
serve to show the present condition
and how necessary It is to take Inn
mediate steps to I'LL the winter wants.
so acute ID the coal situation at
the present time, says this Journal
as assuring scarcity and higher
prices IL the people do not immediate.
IN bny and store their winters supply,
that the directors Of the National Coal
Association, composed OF bituminons
coal producers, decided at their recent
meeting Iii Cincinnati 10 begin an ac-
tive advertising campaign to acQuaint
the public with the situation and to
warn against delay ID providing
against the coming atringency
Normally the bituminous coal pro
ducti0n In the United States is around
Il hair billion tons There have been
produced 30 FAR this year, according 70
the United States Geological Survey,
only Isl, 1880, 900 tons and there Is .
steadily Increasing shortage Of mime
labor. The coal men, knowing this
know also from bitter experience that
when the real strinseney begins to lee
felt the public will blame them, VIII
as. III reality. II Is the public itsAli
that viii be 70 blame.
Ths matter of transportation also
presents serious problems There is i
billion bnshel wheat crop Cd sight and
ii win have "a be meved. All OtheI
crops are heavy and they nanst bt
moved. That ID going % create Ger
ious ear shortage, Of which warning
already has been given Also the 20
ernsnenk -0perat railroads hare piled
up stupenaaue de6cls and without
/ dcnht the talked-Of advance IN freight
rates viii lie put IN elect This mean:
thai when the rnsh ID buy coal comes
lin he fail and winter Sc II certainly
vim conse. the mines will bo IN no 20
/ aikgr..a u naarasaIv the fnnname rann sred. !.