The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-15
Daily Wall Street Gossip
BY HOLLAND.

New York, N May 14.-(Special.)- something more than the influence of the interstate commerce commission, winch is seeking to relieve the con- gested condition in the railroad yards VIII be required If there is to be pro- duced and stored an adequate supply Of anthracite coal sufficient for the needs of next winter. There seems to be no way of persuading the majority of the coal miners to work full time. A leading operator in the anthracite industry said this morning that the railroad congestion could be in part met as far as anthracite coal is con- cerned if the miners were willing to work. They are now, he said, re- ceiving wages in such large amounts that they are satisfied to work not more than three days a week. Their earnings for the three days amount to much more than their weekly wages in normal times. So they are disposed to take it easy and cannot be par suaded that the country will need an- thracite coal next fall and winter Something like this difficulty used to be met with in the south and in fact may now prevail in certain parts of the south. For many of the negroes content with the wages they received for few days work would spend the rest of the week in idleness hav.fg earned money enough to carry them through. This for a long time was the cause of much embarrassment in the cotton mills of the south.
 WHAT MAY HAPPEN
 While the outlook continues to be fairly promising for continued pros- perity nevertheless some of the ablest men are speaking with apprehension of the possible effect of unrest and especially of the serious situation in which the farmers of the United States now find themselves. They are not only very short of labor but are com pelled to pay high wages. And even with such large payments they find
 that the majority of farm laborers are not as efficient as they were formerly. The apprehension of which the able men speak somewhat guard edly is based upon the possibility that by reason of unrest, labor difficulties, excessive prices for many commodities and the enormous expenditures made by the government there may come, as there did in 1873, sudden reaction. The hope has been strong that the
 1eadjustment to normal conditions would be gradual and in that way no serious business or industrial troubles would be created, but if by reason of some of the conditions now prevailing there should come sudden reaction it might prove disastrous although there
 will be no danger of money panic, but there may be halting of business, suddenly brought about So it is said that conditions today entail the aid of the ablest men in the. United States both in industry, finance and in Congress so that proper measures may be taken to avert a sudden de- rression of business and industrial activity.
 A NEW SUGAR STATE
 The experiment which is now under way in Florida sponsored in some places by New York capital, which if successful may convert Florida from a citrus growing to a sugar cane pro- ducing state is reported now to be promising. Excellent seed was se- cured early in the winter and it has been. planted upon many acres almost all of which are located some thirty miles south of St. Augustine. Sugar planters and refiners in Cuba, having heard of this Florida experiment and having learned that the seed has sprouted well thus showing that the soil possesses excellent sugar cane | making qualities, have recently come to Florida for the purpose of investi- gation. They are prepared if they find l on examination that the soil is suit 1 able to take up large tracks of rela