The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-10-30
sdaoFof American Coal Jour.
nal Deplores Consumers
Who Take Chance.
81 AsIEDEE J. CASEY


term. II means tomorrow. 1t de-
seribes the coal situation mos:
aptIyih nearly every part OF the
country this week. The strike no
longer occupies the front pages.
Warnings by fuel administrators
and coal men have become "old
Stun The weather is pleasant.
The public will buy It's coal To-
morrow-if 1t thinks Of It. Prices
have declined a little bit. Maybe
they will come down some more.
Maybe they will-"manaaa." To
those persons who havH dwelt
across the border the point Is
eieaT--' "manana" never come.
THE situation as exists how
frankly Is alarming. There is
more real danger oFa coal famine
runaway prices, distress, suffer-
ing, and all the evils against
which the country was warned
during the summer than at any
time this year. The public Is the
chief offender now-the cUui con-
sinners who are willing to take 4
chance Next come the rail-
roads with their short car
supply and poor motive pow
err weakened by the strike O.
the shopmen and swamped IN the
annual effort to handle both the
crops of the country and Its coal
supply In few brief weeks. They
never have made G1LspicuouSly
successful job Of 1t and this year
their task is hopeless and was
hopeless from the very start I'M
lesssthe public realizes the sltua-
ton and gave It's very best &C.
operation. The aid OF every big
industrial user of ocal and every
householder was essential. Neither
has been offered and storm Signals
are flying from every car Of coal
slttlng out on a sld!Gg and await
ing the time when the railroad
can spare a locomotive to come
along and pick 1t up and give Il a
start to market. When 1t gets To-
market, the chances are 1t Will sit
ON another siding, collecting he
murrage, until a nip Of coli wea-
ther awakens the guilty conscl-
encetof some consumer.
Halt. until the snow flies" r..
marks the trade and the remark Is
made in no pleasant spirit Of anti
eipatton, either. Dealers wEn :lave
been through the same thing be-
fore can see irate customers
storming their offices, demanding
70 be served at once. They can SEE
their shipments tied up a couple
OF hundred sm!les away. the rail-
roads borrowing" wherever tncy
get2a chance. prices soaring and
their customers denouncing them
all as a bunch of proiitceT3. 4
pleasant prospect, and all due TO
one Of the most Remarkable md
foolish exhibitions of buyers
: strike 1t has been their misfor.
tune to witness.
Reports this week are practical
3 IL unanimous on the refusal OF
consumers to buy now. Naturally.
prices OF coal in dealers hands
and on cars have weakened. There
Us a chance right now for the wise
consumer and user OF steam c0al
to stock up ahead of the inevitable
rush at prices that will not be I'LL
p1icated again before next spring.
For, once snow flies, the small
stocks that are on hand will van
ish like the first snow itself and
from then on 1t will be a constant
struggle to keep abreast Of the
winter demand. Prices are bound
to advance.
Just how foolIshly slack is the
demand for fuel at this time Is
shown by the fact that some OF the
biggest anthracite producers is the
Pennsylvania field have this week
8 been obliged to begin storing coal
sbeeaues Of no market" No mar
+ ket, indeed The hard coal mines,
running to capacity and with prl-
I. GRITTY car orders, can't give the
country go per cent of its usual
supply.
Coal dealers and producers are
yenturing to feel some encourage
ment3 that a remedy to this annual
tangle may be evolved through
the labors Of the federal fact find
ing commission which is just be-
ginning Its work. The trade know
fairly well what the remedies are
and what must be done. but 1t Is
unable to apply them itself. On
the one hand stands the miners
Union and on the other hand the
public, with its suspicion that
something is going to be put over
on 1t. The trade welcomes a fair
and impartial investigation and
hopes 1t will have the courage to
90 ahead. The refusal Of arbltra-
tion by the miners during the
strike shows their feeling about
investigation from outside sour
ces. They are going to be investi-
gated now, however, whether they
lfkeiit or not. The fact that will
befrevealed impartlally will be all
the justification that the trade
needs. Watch for them.
Cars Badly Needed
Reports from the larger coal