Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-11-09
COAL SITUATION
is NOW ALARMING
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tOOntlnueu from page OncJ
motive Co come along and pick it up
and give it a start to market. When
il gets to market the chances are it
will sit out on another siding, col
iecting demurrage, until nip Of
cold weather awakens the guilty
conscience of some consumer.
wait until the snow flies" re-
marks the trade, and the remark is
made in no pleasant spirit Of antici-
patton, either. Dealers who have
been through the same thing before
can see irate customers storming Of
fices, demanding to be served at once.
They can see their shipments tied up
couple of hundred miles away, the
railroads borrowing" wherever they
get chance, prices soaring and their
customers denouncing them all as a
bunch of profiteers. A pleasant
prospect, and alb due TO one of the
most remarkable and foolish exhibit
lions Of buyers strike" it has been
their misfortune to witness.
Reports this week are practically
unanimous OH the refusal of con
sumers to buy now. Naturally, prices
of coal in dealers hands and on cars
have weakened. There is chance
right now for the wise consumer and
rser Of steam coal to stock up ahead
Nc the inevitable rush at prices tina,
! viii not be duplicated gain before
next spring. For, once snow flies
The small stocks that are on hand
will vanish like the fret snow itself
and from then on it will be con
start struggle to keep abreast of the
winter demand. Prices are bound to
advance
Just how foolishly slack is the de
mand for fuel at this time is shown
by the fact that some of the bigges
anthracite producers in the Pennsyl.
vania field have this week been oblig.
ed to begin storing coal because OF
mo market" No market, indeed
The hard coal mines, running to ca.
pacity and with priority car orders
cart give the country 90 per cent OF
is usual supply.
Coal dealers and producers are
venturing to feel some encourage
ment that a remedy to this annua
srglc may be evolved through The
labors of the federal fact -fndinl
commission, which is just beginning
IS work. The trade knows fairly
ven what the remedies are and wha
must be done, but it is unable to ap
cly them itself On the one hanC
stands the miners union and on tn,
other the public. with its suspicion
that something is going to be pu
over on it. The trade welcomes a fai
and impartial investigation an,
hopes it will have the courage to q,
lahead. The refusal of arbitration b.
the miners during the strike show
heir feeling about investigation
from outside sources. They are go
ing to be investigated now, however
whether they like it or not. The fact
hat will be revealed impartially viii
be all the justification that the trad
reeds. Watch for them.
Reports from the larger coal field
this week repeat the cry of last weel
more cars. In Southern Illinoi
the mines are running only about 4
per cent of capacity Some of tn
West Virginia fields report they hav
had no cars in ten days. Other
are getting in two and three days
week. Shipments up the lakes az
not what they should be and yet, i
spite Of all handicaps, more tha
$4,000 600 tons Of hard and soft Goa
were mined in the last week reporte
by the Geological Survey. Pitts
: burgh, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Ne,
England manufacturing is gainin
slightlN. but. purchasing agents ar