New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-08
Winter Famine
Coal Seen i'm
Buyers Strike
simply for Only Two Weeks
Stored in City and Roads
Will Be Unable to Meet
Demand, Dealers Assert
No Hope of Lower Prices
public's Expectation of Gut
and Tight Money Blamed
for Consumers Attitude

MA fsilurc of New Workers and
j. eastern section of the United
safes generally. to lay in their win
,.s,s supply of coal during the sum
Mar. due to anticipation of lower
n,;ces. forbcdes another difficult fuel
.itustion, a canvass Of the largest
snth1acite retail companies revealed
Yesterday.
According to officials of Burns Broth
.rs Thomas A. Farrell and Stokes Coal
Company, only from 65 to 70 per cens
If the amount of coal laid in on Sep
fether /, 1920, has been purchased
This year. Unless the deficit is made
mn by October 15 serious problem
4 expected TO arise, for at that t;~,e
hesry traffic will commence on rail-
ROADS and perishable goods will have
precedence over coal.
Consumers Look for Price Cut
The delay in purchasing winter
stocks is laid by coal dealers to two
factors, tightness of money, and a
belief that prices may drop.
The latter hope is baseless, it is de-
clared The miners wages are fixed
BY agreement until next April, and
there is no immediate expectation of
reduction in railroad rates. Coal
prices have been increased 10 cents a
ton each month since April. The ad-
vance since July, however. has not
been passed on to the consumer by the
retailer, because of slack business.
The large retail coal companies have
facilities for storing only two weeks
supply, and the advent of a cold spell
is expected to bring suffering and
hardship. In the event of heavy
snow, delivery service in the city
would be reduced to 20 per cent of
normal. Evidence that similar condi-
tons prevail throughout the East is
contained in bulletin issued by the
Miners Bank of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Consumers are not yet buying their
accustomed quantity of coal, with the
result that the producing companies
are nearing the active season with the
knowledge that some of the largest
consumers and some of the most i'm
portant consuming sections have not
been supplied" says the bulletin.
Booming Market Forecast
"rhis dissemination to Law in tho
winters supply has been due in cart
to the belief of some that prices would
surely be reduced and in part to the
reduced cash resources, owing to de-.
preston in business, which has made
it inconvenient for some buyers to
finance large payments at this time.
II the hesitation continues there is
likely to De runaway market when
the temperature drops to level which
makes coal buying imperative. New
England has not purchased it's CUSTOM
airy supply, and other sections which
are large consumers of anthracite are
also behind with their orders.
Just what the outcome will be ia
dlnicult to say, except that the public
viii have to buy large additional ton
mage If it intends to keep warm this
winter, as it surely does intend to do.
1T is to be hoped that the public
fills its bins with coal before the rail-
roads are deluged with merchandise
freight, for the one thing certain is
mat railroad equipment is still suf-
nciently below standard to suggest that
ttae carriers would have great difficulty
n making prompt deliveries of coal in
the season of usual traffic congestion },