Evening star., 1926-06-07
us. COAL INDUSTRY.
STIRRING UNEAS|LY.
Producers Say Some Aspects
Are as Menacing as
British Strike.
BY J. G. ROYI.E.
Special Dispatch 10 The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK. June 1.-The entire
American coal industry Is uneasy
Producers SAY some cf the aspects If
the situation are almost as menacinc
as those of the English strike
Bituminous mines are facing low
production. unsatisfactory prices and
poor earnings. with a possible strike
In the distance. Anthracite mines re.
port consumers in no hurry to cover
their Autumn and Winter needs, and
IL will still take some time to deter.
mine just how many markets were
lost to the hard-coal trade by the last
strike.
Unemployment among the btu.
minous miners already is severe. The
Russell Sage Foundation today made
public plan to forestail periods of eX-
tensfve unemployment. Personnel men
OF big companies who have analyzed
this plan say that in effect il provides
that IL information were gathered
from employers as to when they were
going to curtail operations and lay off
workers it would he possible to have
the soup in the soup kitchens hot
when relief work started But the plan
gives no indication of how 1t is pos
sible to fit 100000 workers into the
coal industry where at present there Is
no economic place for them.
Bituminous Production.
Bituminous coal production is run
ming we'll over a.000. .000 tons a week
Railroad men OH coal roads say this
is nearly 0O0.o0O tons a week above
consumption. so that stocks. extreme.
ly heavy Al the end Of the anthra cite
strike. are peinE increased rather
,fr,o
owners claim, with a good deal of evil
dence to support them. that they are
able to produce 1000. 900 tons a week
or more. In consequence of the SUI
perlority Of their position as to pro-
ducinr costs. a strong movement has
begun among the owners Of the union
tzed mines to have the so-cailed Jack
sonville agree which fixes $3.50
day as the basic wage. revised down
ward. The JacksonviN- agreement
has until March 81. 1927. to run. But
some operators, notably the Pitts
burgh Coal Co., have not waited for
its expiration. They Rave offered
work to thear former employees at a
lower wage than the Jacksonville
scale and have been able to reopen r
number OF properties closed down
under urIon conditions.
The Pittsburgh company lays stress
on the amount earned through full
time work under the reduced scale.
as compared with the amount earned
on reduced time under the union
scale. Officials of the company claim
~ per cent Of the men AT their Ban.
ming No. N:-1e earn an average of
1915 day. while the entire total Of
2Ss miners on the pay roll earn an
average of S5.75. Union officials are
yico' ously cOmha tting the suggestion
of revision Of tho Jacksonville plan
and II is admitted by both parties
that lons labor struggle is posi-
hility in 1927. if not before that time.
In the anthracite fields the men are
clamorinc for the opera tors to an
nounce a policy nf mining for the
Summer The operators. for their
part. are worried as to how strong
foothold soft coal has obtained in the
markets wher= anthracite once was
supreme.
Apprehension, Is Aroused.
The acquisition Of the Lehigh and
New England Railroad by the Read
ing under 999-year lease has aroused
some apprehension.
The road. but ol9 miles long, was
built originally as line In the
through route from the anthracite
fields to New England 1t is FACT
little known that the Readings soft
coal tonnage is greater than it's hard
coal freight. The road reaches into
southern Pennsylvania and connects
with roads tapping the Virginia and
West Virginia fields. With proper
connections. it might wei carry large
supplies OF soft Goa! from Southern
territory TO New England. The Read
ing Company has no interest in the
anthracite mines. What il is after Is
tonnage. The Lehi-h and New Eng
land, therefore. has passed out of
the hands of the Lehigh Coal
4 Navigation Co. an anthracite pro
Queer, into the control. subject to GOV
ernmental approval. Of a road equally
interested in hard and soft fuel. In
this day of railroad consultations
many coal operators see in the lease
an initial step for another huge mer.
ger Of carriers.
BAR SILVER PRICE.