New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-09-09
Mine Repairs 1
May Increase !
rice OF Coal
Operators and Dealers p,,;n.
10 Maintenance Costs NJ,
spite Hope Of woo,l;.
for Last Years Rate
Pumping, $4,000. 900
Donovan 10 Speak Before
the Association To-day.
VIII Ask Co-operatien

Although hope has been expresssS 4
several quarters, and particulaYly s.
William II. Woodin. State Eual aa..;s
igtrator, that anthracite prices ~ :.
coming winter viii be no higbsy ~
the prices of q year ago, it was loa,,sI
yesterday that considerable doubs
to the price trend exists even anoas
the hard coal operators and deaiar.
themselves.
The unknown factor in estlwaIt,.
the probable price of hard coal vAss
production is resumed OF Mondsv
charge running into many millions u
dollars for maintenance Of the nlr..
during the period OF non-produe.;a,
Labor costs and freight charges &.
practically the same as year aeo sat
it was pointed out, the single ter u
pumping the mines clear of gatsr dn,.
ing the strike alone amounts 10 mr..
than s1s,0o0,0o0.
This charge with additional million.
of dollars for other raintsnaass ,vov,,s
which the operators have had ID nae.
although no coal wos being mined, mi.
have TO be absorbed along the ruass
from mine TO cellar bin.
Proved Stumbling Block
This problem may have been ths
stumbling block which brought Seer.
tary Hoover's efforts to have the an
thracite operators agree on a Hoover
fair price for hard coal at Thursdays
conference in Philadelphia to nau4kts
Samuel d. Warriner,, president Of tks
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Conpanp.
spokesman for the operators, said, iss
lowing the conference, that the opsss
tors were not looking for unfair prdssa
No mention was made, however, OF tbs
charge for maintenance or where tvs
proposed to tack it on.
1t costs the operators abous s2s,o0e
q month to keep a mine clear Of water
according to Giryan II. Snyder. gen.
eral manager of Dickson g. Eddy, coal
dealers, and for twenty-five months
transportation adviser TO the Wartime
fuel administration at Washington. On
the basis of $50 producing mine groups
in the industry this, item for the five
months during which no coal has been
mined would amount to $4,000, 600. or
3 per cent of the total capitalization
Of the anthracite industry.
Donovan TO Make Address
Mr.. Wocdin will be represented. st
to-day's meeting of the New York State
Coal Dealers Association at Riehaeid
Springs by Colonel William ]. ttWild
BilI') Donovan, legal adviser to the
Fuel Administrator. Colonel Donovan
will make the principal address at the
meeting to which coal dealers are LOOK
ing with considerable interest as thu
first public statement of what tas
Fuel Administrators expects to do and
just what their part in its accomplish
nent is to be.
An effort will be made by Colonel
Donovan, it is said, to enlist the serf-
ices Of the 600 coal dealers who are
expected to attend, to the end tbst
they arrange among themselves, not
only for the equitable distribution Of
coal during the period of the shorts
age, but that they also protect this
good name Of the business men Of thu
state by holding a firm check on the
interruptions few who may attempt
to profiteer and gouge.
It is expected also that Colonel Done
van will impress on the coal dealers
Mr.. Woodin's intention of following
Governor Miller's instruction TO Use as
little force as possible in obtaining
obedience TO his orders and his readi-
ness to use every bit of the drastic
power vested in him If the occasion
demands 1t. As an instance Of whist
might be done, it was said that The
Fuel Administrator or his deputies may
not content themselves with cutting
of further supplies OF fuel from deal
ers found guilty Of profteering. They
may also commander such stocks rs
the dealer has in hand, which they are
authorized to do under the emergency
fuel law, and dispose Of them to con-
sumers at reasonable price. Inc
question of reasonable price may pc
difficult one in some cases. but careful
investigation is expected to avoid say
abuse of dealers.
Office space for headquarters fof ING
State Fuel Administrators were ostaihee
yesterday at SIS Broadway, il was an
nounced by George Barr Baker exeeas
tive assistant to Mr.. Woodin. The hss
Offices will be opened on Monday.