Evening star., 1924-04-17
OPERATORS SAY COAL
is AT DULLEST STAGE
Producers Casting Hopeful Eyes
Toward Lakes as Navigation
Season Approaches.

NEW YORK. April 17.-Coal Age
reports coal market conditions to
date, in review of business in all
fields, as follows:
Anxious to think of something
pleasant in the midst of the depress-
ing gloom that overhangs the soft
coal markets of the country, many
producers are casting Il hopeful
Elanca in the. direction of the lakes
as the navigation season approaches.
Hoping, like Micawber, that some
thing eventually will turn up to dis
pei the prolonged dullness is the daily
occupation of the trade-more favor
able freight rates are the expectation
Of some. while others look to the lake
movement. The rate matter is yet to
hC threShed out in Washington. be-
ginning next week, and the actual
season of lake navigation is still
some distance off, but the preliminary
activities have been disappointing,
bookings and arrangements being
meaEer. Contracting also continues
10 lag.
With the general falling off in do
meStic business and increasing shut
downs Of mines in the middle west,
tine Goals are on the upgrade, screen
ingS showing a slow but steady firm
ing up. Whereas more than 5000
cars of lump, egg and nut stood at
Franklin, Williamson and Saline
county mines without bills. every
load of screenings was shipped with
out delay. If the price continues to
improve il is more than likely that
cruSherS will be pressed into service
on the larger sizes Of domestic that
now clutter the tracks. Even railroad
business has slumped in the CarterS-
Vile field. where the II IS still run
ming are getting only - 1t two days
:, week, and II is worse in the Du
1uoin and jackson county fields. The
Mount Olive and Standard fields also
find the going hard. Spring weather
in st. Louis has put sudden quletus
on business.
Unsettled labor conditions have put
the Kentucky markets in a fretful
state. Despite price cuts to encourage
carly stocking. business has been
light in Louisville. Trade is slow in
western kentuck also, there being
practically no production of block or
pre- pared sizes. this has tended. how
ever To cause prices for nut and
screenings to be tirmer. The heavy
carry over on the northwest docks
has deadtned the market there to
such an extent that even price cuts
have lite effect. Somnolence reigns
at Milwaukee. Mines in the southwest
remain Idle, the deadlock in wage ne
r0t;atIonS at Kansas City being un-
broken. Iheie mas bGtn Il SO" uOWH
IN Colorado and Utah with the appear
HnCc of mi.dCr weather. -
Conditions in the Ohio markets are
somewhat mixed. there being signs that
the bottom has been reached in Gin
"iunati with the placing of railway con-
tracts, though early lake business is
lacking. DullneSS and peSSimiSm reign
at Columbus and Cleveland. Production
= Very low in Pittsburgh and central
Pennsylvania districts New England
Just y ugS along at the recent low level
Atlantic sea aboard markets show
tendency TO steady somewhat, though
feeling OF disquiet is evident at Phila-
dciphia-
Production of bitumnous coal took
pronounced drop during the week ended
-Spril ), when output, according to the
geo ogical survey, amounted to 6,Sl4,000
net tons, which was 2.004 900 tons less
than was produced during the previous
Wee k. This is the lowest output on
record for an eght-hour-day week, ex-
ceDt during the 1921 depression.
Production of anthracite during the
week ended April . was LAS, 600 net
tons a decrease of 1874, ,000> tons com
pared with the preceding week, when
$4,000 tons was produced. Total out
put for the coal year was about 90
oo0, 900 tons, compared with 46,4S6,000
tons in l922-l922.