Evening star., 1926-02-16
COAL MEN WOULD
KEEP NEW MARKETS
Bituminous Producers to
Fight for Trade-Big Sub
stitute Supplies.

Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, february 16.-With the
anthracite miners gathered at Scranton
to ratify the peace terms which are
expected to send the men back to
work Thursday. it is the turn Of the
soft coal men to worry. The bituIni-
nous producers anticipate holding the
markets they have taken over for
some weeks longer at least, and they
feel that demand will be high until
Spring weather sets in. But anthra.
cite production will cut first into soft
coal prices and then into soft coal
sales.
The settlement Of the anthracite
strike, however, probably will result
in the resumption of operations in
number of steel mills which have been
closed down. During the strike much
by-products of coke, which formerly
was used In the steel mills, went into
the Eastern markets for domestic
heating purposes. and prices rose to
such an extent that steel men in some
instances closed their plants.
Future Sales Unsettled.
Opinions In the steel districts. how
ever. differ as to the immediate effect
of the strike settlement. Some OF the
leading coke producers predict an
immediate falling off in demand
Others maintain that householders
who have grown accustomed to coke
will not readily return to anthracite.
Coal prices now are about u per
cent below the high point reached In
November, and many coal men pre-
dict further easing in the near future.
Industrial demand for coal Is heavy.
Factories and mills all over the coun'
try are working at high speed. This
condition Is expected to continue, but
the fact remains that there are more
soft coal mines than are necessary
to fill demand and more soft coal
miners than are needed to work the
mines. The situation of the soft coal
producers has not been basicaiiy
changed. although the hard coal
strike brought enlarged temporary
profits to some.
The coal distributors and retailers
also had their sharA of worry TO-DAY.
Some of them in the eastern field an
ticipated that the strike would con
tinue longer. Settlement found them
heavily stocked with anthracite SUB
stitutes, and they now are stralhlhS
every effort to dispose or these ac-
cumulatlons Some of them have con-
tracts with producers calling for large
shipments, and mine owners are not
likely to allow them 10 cancer tNoSc
agreements. J. w. Smyth. large coal
dealer Of Philadelphia. said today:
Persons paying around *l6 a ton
for soft coal will not buy the suostl'
tute II anthracite is available, and in
consequence heavy losses. possibly
running into many thousands OF dol'
lars, will be felt by dealers who over
stocked with substitutes.
The record breaking production OF
soft coal Is beginning to show In the
accumulations of bituminous stocks.
Geological Survey figures show the
outturn of bituminous in some fairly
recent weeks has been well over the
l3, ,000. .000-ton mark and has been
held pretty steadily above l2ooo,ooo
tons. With that fact in view, the out
look for soft coal companies OUTSIDE
the non union fields is only fair at
best.
Oil Dealers Active.
Oil producers and makers Of oil
burning equipment. in the meantime,
are striving vigorously to strengthen
their position in domestic heating
fields. Railroad yards at the anthra-
cite mines, which for weeks have been
piled high with snow. are being
cleared today in anticipation Of rati-
fication OF the agreement by the
miners. Union officials in some dis.
tricts have given permission for ad-
ditional men to go to work to clear
the properties and put them in shape
for active production.
Copyright. 1ac6l