San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-21
New Price to Go Into e.
feet as Soon as Agree
ment Signed.
SOME MAY GO HIGHER
Normal Tonnage Output
Will Be Reached Soon,
Reports State.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Copyright. by The San Antonio Light.
New York, Sept. 21.-Only formal
adoption of the two-year agreement be-
tween the anthracite miners and oper-
tors was awaited until the prices of
Coal at the mine were advanced ~
cents ton by some operators and
still higher by others.
This advance, as was predicted in
these columns, was made in egg, stove
and chestnut sizes, those used almost
exclusively for domestic consumption.
This advance, therefore, is expect
ed to fall heaviest on the householder.
In fact, the householder in parts of
New England felt the shock of the
price bullet before he heard the re-
port Of the gun, for prices were ad-
vanced 30 cents a ton at retail i'll
Boston a few days ago.
Dealers in Massachusetts,, however,
announce that they will make an eff
fort. to absorb the remaining twenty
cents q ton of the increase by reduc-
ing expenses and lowering costs Of
distribution.
Dealers in other sections have not
announced a similar policy as yet, al
though Governor Pinchot of Pennsyl-
vania, in declaring that the new wage
scale named in the agreement would
warrant an increase Of 60 cents a ton
at the mine, declared that all of it
ought to be absorbed by operators.
carriers and distributors.
However, Fuel Administrator Hult-
man of Massachusetts says tnar con-
sumers in that state never had been
better stocked at this season that at
present.
He estimated that the needs of so
per cent Of the public are well sup
piled.
Miners Drift Back.
The miners are drifting back to
work slowly in the anthracite fields,
largely because considerable repair
work and "dead" work must be done
before the contract miners can COM
mence cutting coal at their old rate
of production.
By next week, however, the mines
are expected to be turning out a
normal tonnage-at the advanced cost
to purchasers.
The advances will come in most in
stances on the domestic sizes as the
Iaeam sizes is sold in competition
with bi-uminous coal.
Prices for the latter are down be-
cause of heavy production and excess
stocks.
Apparently no immediate steps are
being taken to protect the public
against price advances on anthracite
coal already on the surface, which
was mined before the advanced scale
of wages went into effect.
A former fuel administrator of this
state stated the first part of this
month before the new agreement was
reached, that supplies of anthracite
then available were sufficient for all
needs for four months.
If these figures are correct, there
exists coal today which could be sold
to the consumer for long time with
out the necessity of price advances
OF course, some of that reserve sup
ply already was in the hands of con-
| sumers, but dealers in some localities
are getting already higher prices for
fuel which has not yet been produced
| at higher costs.
The colder weather has stimulated
sales of bituminous coal to some ex-
| tent, notably in Indiana, Illinois and
Wisconsin, but prices are still low.
Gamers in Strong Position.
Gamers declared today that the adj
vantage which for a time lay with
the grocers and buyers of canned
goods, now has returned to the hands
Of the packers.
The various packs now being fin
ished I'D have not yet reached the
proportions which were expected and
the reserve supplies in the hands of
| jobbers and dealers have melted away.
The pea pack is well disposed OF
already, according to Gamers, and the
corn pack has been affected some
what by frosts in some sections looked
| to for fancy packs.
kTrom all over the country come re-
/ ports that tomato packs have been
curtailed or delayed by cold. weather
or Instantaneous conditions.
The length of the season is expect
ed to determine the final position Of
the pack. however.
This is because late frosts necessi-
to ted replanting in some sections last
spring with consequent late develop
ment of the fruit.
So far as fruit is concerned. the