Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-26
Deny du PoBt Deaf
Operators Resist Any
Coal Cost Reductions



be the truth about future prices would
make mystelf a target for every news
paper in the State" he remarked. II
shall pursue the course of wisdom. con =
sult my own peace Of mind and say
nothing"
Weeks ago retailers in Philadelphia
announced that soon there would be an
advance IN price. II has been their an-
nusl custom for years to Issue such q
statement in the early spring. The
usual announcement this spring was
the result OF an understanding with the
operating companies that no reductions
are anticipated. Instead, prices have
been advancing.
An analysis of the statements made
BY independent operators in my article
yesterday leaves the question of prices
in doubt
The scale OF prices announced by the
PHILADELPHIA and Reading and the Le-
high Valley Cos. in March last. as
pointed out yesterday. made rate for
stove size of sS.06 per ton BY the first
named corporation and sS per ton by
the Lehigh Valley.
In April the Erie Railroad smashed
into the market with quotation Of
sT35 for stove size and sT.45 for
chestnut, cut below that Of it's com
petitors OF sixty-fvc and sixty cents,
respectively. in the two sizes.
The result ot the Erie cut was 10
compel the Rehdins to lower its price
OF stove coal from SS.O5 TO ST.55. and
chestnut the same. The Lehigh VAL
ley went FIVE cents below the Reading
on these two sizes. In tn. present
month OF May these prices were in =
creased five to twenty FIVE cents per
ton.
Did the consumer benefit by these re :
duetions?
Not to any apprtciab!c extent. The
actual fact is that the Erie's cut of
Blxty to sixty five cents emphasized the
fnisity or the claim that profits arc
figured so close that any considerable
reduction is impossible.
There has been recently enacted 4
State law placing tax of H. per
cent on the gross sales Of anthracite.
This furnishes a new occasion for 90 =
orators further to advance the price of
coal to the consumer.
On previous occasion. some years
ago. when a State tax was imposed on
anthracite. the operators advanced the
price to the public to five times the
amount Of the Tux imposed. And they
collected II. While they were about
this. their attorneys we're fighting t.
annul the law, which they hnaly sue
ceeded in doing.
This year there will be no pretenst
OF increasing the price Of coal {,
cover the tax with n promise that Il
the law 10 declared unconstitutional thu
money viii be refunded.
IL IL tn he another straight advance
and tho operators will retain il as -
much 'velvct" II the law is amended.
One of the points made by tn,
operators is that the production o
anthracite. owing 10 physical condi
tons. Is daily growing more costly an,
difficult.
II Is well known that there ar
thousands Of acres of virgin anthrncit
lands, the property Of great railroa,
and banking interests, lying untouched
Why are these not developed?
II il acknowledged that they can h
operated at figure much below tn
present costs,
The matter Of steam" sizes
Until recent years. only domesti
sizes known as cEg. stove and nut Goa
were freely marketable. Then Il wa
discovered that pea coal, which ha
sold at a comparatively triing COS
because of its size as compared wit
the others. could be- pushed TO adyan
tnge at q higher price.
This was done. and this size ha
steadily advanced in price till it
rated regularly as n standard size an
approximntes fairly in price to th
three other domestic grades. Once
because Of its chrhpness, II was know
AZ the poor mans coal. II has grad
mated from the pleblan 10 the aristo
cratic class through skillful manipu
lation.
The screenings below pea size wcr
nnee considered worthless. They wer
dumped 10 growing heaps until in tn
course of decades they formed cur
hanks. the euriosities Of the anthracit
region. II was discovered that thes
asso could be turned into q marketabl
commodity They were screened an
scrtedRss 10 sireF and prices, and ad