The Washington herald., 1921-08-23
SOFT COAL OUTPUT.
TURNING UPWARDS,
REPORTS REVEAL
Over 7,726,OOO Net Tons
Record for Second
Week i'm August.
BELOW LAST YEAR
Figures Show Increase Of
$4,000 Tons Over Pre- :.
ceding Weeks, -

For the first time in two months
the production of soft coal has
turned definitely upward. The out
put during the second week of
August Is estimated at 7.726.o0o net
tons. Not only was this an in
crease of 551.000 tons over the out
put of the week preceding; il was
the largest attained in any week
since JUNE IL, according TO the Ge-
illogical Survey. E
The present rate of production.
cent years. In the corresponding
week of. 1917 over 1o.1oo,0o0 tons
vas produced: in 1918 the figure
was 11.77o.0oo tons: year ago III
was 1873. 900. In 1919. a dull
year for the coal trade. the cores
ponding week showed 100000
tons. Even in 1914. a year of bus
mess depression. the August out
put averaged 100000 tons a week.
Before the current rate Of produc-
tion can equal even the 1914 rate
il must be increased another 1,0o0,-
900 tons a week.
TWO Days show Decrease. :.
preliminary reports indicate that
loadings on Monday and Tuesday
! of the present week totalled 51.292
cars, slight decrease when COM
pared with the corresponding days
of the week preceding,
Production of soft coal during
the first 1870 working days of the
past five years, the period over
which records OF weekly output eN-
tend. has been as follows:
Years of activity: 1917. 337,59l.-
900: 1918. S59.4os,Ooo; 1920. $780,
SO7 900.
Years of depression: 1919, 273,-
100000; 1921. 241.54s.0oo.
IT will he seen that the year 1891
is in round numbers 100000 tons
behind 1919. $4,000. 900 tons behind
1920 and about 107 100000 tons be-
hind the average of the war years
Compared with the average of all
four years it is $1,000 .o0e tons be-
hind.
Depressed Industry Factor.
Undoubtedly the largest factor in
this subnormal production Is a de-
crease in consumption resulting
from the depressed condition of in
| dustry. The latest month for whicn
consumption data are available is
May. 1891. In that month the con-
sumption for railroad fuel was
probably only 81 per cent of the
1920 average; for electric utilities.
only IS per cent and for coke
manufacture only IS per cent EN-
ports in May. 1921. were but 81 per
cent of the 1920 average.
Resumption of work on August S
at many of the coliIeries closed by
the recent labor disputes in the an
thracite region effected partial
recovery in the output of hard coal
during the week Of August 13. The
| mine anthracite carriers report
loading 1885 cars. as against CO.
Ss7 cars in the week preceding. On
this basis the total output, includ-
ing mine fuel and local sales, as
well as the production or dredges
and washeries. is estimated at
LI72,000 net tons. In the week of
August 6 ii had been 1,56i.0OO tons,
and in the last week before the
disputes began, 1.S37.o00 tons.
The slight improvement in pro-
duction of beehive coke during the
two preceding weeks was not main
tained in the week ended August l3
The total output declined from 5S.-
900 TO $4,000 net tons. The decrease
was practically confined to Penn
sylvania. Cumulative production
during 1921 to date stands at 1885,
900 tons. or but 80 per cent of that
in 1920.
The all-rail movement to New
England continued to decline dur
ing the second week in August. Re-
ports show that 2.313 cars of an
| thracite, and 1850 cars of soft coal
were forwarded over the Hudson
during the week. When compared
with the week ended August 6. this
was a decrease OF 2S6 and ?20 cars.
Bituminous shipments were but ~
per cent of those in the correspond
ing week last year.