Evening star., 1923-08-22
HARD COAL PRICE
JUMP NOW FEARED
Advance in Domestic Sizes
Seen It Threatened Strike
Takes Place.
BY j. c. ROYLE.


NEW YORK. August 22.-An ad-
vance in the price of anthracite.
which may result from a stoppage of
work in the mines or from a settle
ment of tho present controversy be-
tween the miners and operators, will!
fall heaviest upon householders who
use domestic sizes of coal. There Is
every possibility today that there
will be an advance.
This is borne out by the formal
statement of the operators that Ito
grant a wage increase would mean
An increase In the price of coal to
the public" At the same time the
operators. in proposing that the diff
ferences between employers and
miners be submitted to arbitration.
agreed to guarantee that there would
De no reduction in wages as result
of such arbitration.
Each side admits that the adjust
ment by arbitration In 1920, which
gave an increase of II per cent In
wages 20 the men, was followed by
a rise In prices. although they dis
agree as to the amount of the in
crease.
Where Rise is Feared.
The possible increase, according to
men thoroughly familiar with the
intricacies of mining and marketing
anthracite. VIII be most marked on
the so-called domestic sizes. because
competition in that field is least Sc
we're. Invasion of the householders
trade by oil or bituminous producers
Is not particularly feared by anthra-
cite men. In anthracite territory
, furnaces and CRATES are adapted to
anthracite and the cost OF changing.
together with the advantage of hard
coal. makes the domestic consumers
ioath to employ substitutes. even
when hard coal prices are high.
1t Is in the so-called steam sizes
that competition and invasion OF the
market is feared This small sized
coal Is produced as a result of the
processes which prepare the nut and
Jump sizes for the householder. The
buckwheat, rice and other extremely
small sizes are not adapted to domes.
tic use and must be sold to Industrial,
railroad and steamship companies.
Competition in Large Sizes.
In that field they come into direct
competition with the bituminous
product and must be sold at some
where near the same prices. Hereto
fore industrial, consumers have pre-
ferred this anthracite steam size
product to the bituminous in most
instances, where the difference in
= cost was not too great, and il is this
trade which the ybituminous pro-
ducers have been anxious to capture.
The marketing of these small sizes
is relied on by the anthracite pro-
ducers to take care of overhead leav-
Ing the margin on domestic sizes on
the profit side of the ledger Coal
men, therefore, believe that any in
crease in costs Of production which
may be passed on to the public. will
come heaviest on the larger sizes.
Cotton Consumers Anxious.
The progress of the cotton crop.
now in its most critical stage. is
causing decided anxiety in textile
manufacturing circles. Reports from
private sources. regarded as accurate.
have not gone far toward allaying
that apprehension. Reports of cor
Respondents of Fenner & Beane, one
OF the large cotton houses of New
York and the south, received today.
indicate the outlook for the 1923 crop
has shrunk over 100000 bales since
the government issued it's estimate
of July -.
These reports place conditions at
5S per cent OF normal. a drop from
s7.2 per cent, and indicate a shrinkage
in yield from IL sic, 900 bales, as pre-
dicted by the Department of Agricul-
ture three weeks ago, to 1O.90G,000
bales. This estimate is based on
acreage figures compiled by the cor
respondents. which are considerably
less than those reported by the gov
ernment.
Grent Caution Noted.
Cotton cloth manufacturers feel
that q marked increase in the prices
for manufactured goods might entail
serious lesseninS of demand and
that they must base their production
schedules on price for the raw
staple, which can only be determined
by final and accurate indications of
the years crop yield. In the mean
time they are proceeding with the ut
most caution. especially In New Eng
land