The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-07-06
NE PRICE OF COAL
IS SOARING HIGHER
,nrAeED PAY OF MINERS
mn HEAVY SHIPMENTS TO
EUROPE MAIN REASONS.
MAY GO TO $40 PER TON

u
BEING Feverishly Bought by For
.;ar Countries at Almost ANY
price the Producers Ask: Profit
GERS Pay No Attention to Palm
er's Threats.
WASHINGTON = Sky-high coal
nr;cos double those of last year,
threaten the United States.
Consumers face an added tax of
GO or more on every ton of soft coal.
Mine prices have doubled and ire
bled already since April 1.
Total extra cost for the country
will be at least $3,000,000,000 if
present prices continue, and easily
NAV reach $5,000,000,00O.
Most of this will be clear profit
for a thousand or more coal opera
4 tors, according to government hg-
8 ures on production costs.
An acute famine also is in pros
B meet for parts of the United States,
4 particularly the northwestern states
served with fuel by the Great Lakes
4 route.
Hard coal, in sympathy, will go
8 up with soft coal prices.
Only drastic action-immedlately
d can save the situation-and the
q $1,000 ,00O-for American con-
4 sumers.
1t will hit every family whether
or not it consumes soft coal in the
home furnace. Every cent of extra
coal cost is passed on by manufac-
turers.
B Idle Threats of Prosecution.
Attorney General Palmer's threat
b to prosecute individual profiteers
may or may not stop the runaway
coal market. Similar threats from
him in times past have not feazed
profteers in other lines.
Practically the entire output of
Pocahontas, West Virginia Splint
and Kentucky Block coal is flowing
east for export through Hampton
Roads and other Atlantic ports.
q The movement is so great that
these three, the highest grades of
american domestic Goals, have virtu-
8alIy disappeared from the domestic
Amarket and cannot be bought by
americans at a price within reason.
No matter how high the American
retailer bids, the exporter goes him
Ia dollar better-and gets the coal.
The export drain is particularly
strong on the output of Pocahontas
mines and the mines around Fair
mont and New River, w. Va. To
Sget this cream of American coal ex-
sporters are paying as high as $11.50
IA net ton with CORRESPONDENCE
higher prices for Pennsylvania an
thracite.
Coal jobbers say that if this price
were cut in half the operators would
still be getting fair price:
Pay or Do Without.
The heavy export demand sets the
price pace for the American who
buys in the domestic market.
Americans either pay the export
price or don't get their orders filled
lat the mines, for the demand for
coal at tidewater is now unlimited.
Exporters are taking every ton they
can get.
Nv AIcNHSI INV oSdlNC CO1I 10, llO
matter how scarce coal cars are, the
exporters order is filed first.
These export shipments, as they
flow east, have clogged the railroads
so that New England mills have run
up an S. 0. S. signal. They want
some of this coal diverted from
Hampton Roads and other points and
hauled INTO New England.
Senator Walsh of Massachusetts is
demanding embargo of some form on
IVaI exports. He points to England,
Wnch has recently clamped on the
ia by limiting coal exports to 10
per cent Of her total production,
.hough IN 1913-1914 England ex-
ported "a out of every 100 tons of
coal from her mines.
Experts More Than Double.
england, according to Walsh, is
aeeping her coal at home, then buy
ing American coal and using it as a
reaium OF exchange for acquiring
ouoan sugar, Argentine beef and
ID" materials from Mediterranean
countries.
walsh has compiled figures show
oo1 "O doouC Z,OUU,UOU TONS OF
S S. were shipped out of the United
eeaIes during April. His informa-
ZION from coal men is that by mid
GUNNER the export shipments may
VA NJ as high as 100000 tons a
10 ms ms would beat a yearly rate of
oo,oo0,OOO tons. In other words,
NM OF every eleven tons of coal
r,ned IN the United States one
would be exported.
am AM rlcans who want this coal but
mum mum bid against the export price
e gotnI out that as the coal shortage
fro FRS more acute every ton taken
n tom the domestic market and ship
e erU abroad is an increasingly great
evan Uanada is big factor in our coal
only oLort market. Her mines supply
any Al per cent of her coal needs,
ab % N 1920 she will probably buy
co oou' 100000 tons of American
can oahada has thousands of Ameri-
hos or coal cars which she is holding as
r res'ages until American railroads To-
bai e and send home other cars that
SNIOlg In HaooJo IL