Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-07-10
RUSH Of ORDERS
FOR HARD COAL
Factions Expect No Strike,
But Public Is Taking No
Chances of Freezing.
BY j. G. ROYLE.

! Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. July lot causes
no discomfort whatever to either the
miners or operators of the anthracite
fields to have the consumer shiver a
patton of a possible coal shortage
next winter.
The operators are mighty glad to
sell at prevailing prices all the an
thracite that consumers can or will
buy and store in preparation for next
winters requirements. The miners
are mighty glad to have their men
mine all the coal they can and receive
all the wages they can at present.
figuring that each dollar so earned
makes their position just so much
stronger.
J Both Sides Makes Gestures.
Careful observers found confirma
ton OF these facts as the representa- l.
tives 10 the wage conference at At
! lantic City completed the grand SD
lutte to their fencing match. consist
ing of formal presentation or DE-
mands and rejection of the majority
of same. and get down to the SUD-
| committee stage of negotiations.
AS in a real fencing match, ges-
lures played no small part IN the
wage agreement preliminaries. Con-
sumers and dealers found one sucn
gesture" in the request or Samuei
D Warriner. spokesman of the OPP
orators that assurance be given that
the mines would be continuously op,,
! Grated even if negotiations continued
beyond September I. This. he assert.
ed, would allay the apprehension oil
| the country.
On the other side. the request that
the conference make an issue oil
charges that the Attorney General
had edited the Federal Coal Com
mission report also was visualized
as a gesture" by many. Each ges-
ture" was promptly waved aside by
the opposing faction.
Coal Buying Very Heavy.
In the meantime coal sales are in
creasing in practically all the ter
ritory which uses anthracite. re
ports from New England show that
retail buying of anthracite is I'M
usually active for this season of the
year and considerable concern is
manifested over the mine situation.
This has been increased by the re-
port of committee of the Massa :
personal investigation of the an
thracite field. New England coal
dealers state that the public and
large consumers have been fully
laying in supplies during the warm
weather, instead of gambling on the
chance Of saving a few dollars ton
during the winter.
Retail dealers in Philadelphia are
deluged with orders for domestic
sizes Of anthracite. The number of
new customers demanding quick de-
livery has added to the problems of
the dealers. who assert they cannot
get half enough to supply the de-
mand. In some cases they are offer
ing premiums to operators. Some
dealers have made slight advances
in retail prices for certain sizes
Householders in the anthra cite
towns themselves are LAYING in their
winter supplies and inquiry for coal
appears to be increasing rather than
dim fishing. In the middle west
consumers are gladdening the hearts
of the West Virginia bituminous
operators by preparing to use coal
from that section if the anthracite
supply is short.
On top of all. both operators and
miners assert their firm conviction
that there will be no strike. The
operators say no strike begun on
the verge of winter ever had public
opinion behind 1t. or was success
full. while the miners believe the
operators cannot take chances on
losing their market to bituminous
and oil producers.