New Britain herald., 1929-01-05

the recurrent anthracite shortages
taught people how to get along with
substitutes. until now the substi-
tutes arc providing strong and ever
increasing competition for the an
thracite racket; indeed. the con-
sumption of the various substitutes
constantly increases. while consump-
ton OF anthracite, despite tncreas-
ing population. as constantly de-
crcases. Yes, the anthracite boys are
alarmed.
Today the anthracite region OF
Pennsylvania il faced with parIous
ttuaes. Production has decreased be-
cause demand has lessened: unem-
ployment has cropped up; although
tho average price of anthracite In
1925 was $lb.17 a ton, double the
price in 1879 the prices in 1928 and
1927 each showed a decline over the
previous year: there Is surplus of
the product. due to competition OF
competitive heating units. The fall
In the production of anthracite. In
the face Of a steady increase In the
country's total consumption Of heat
units, IL an indication Of its de-
cline as a factor In the nations fuel
supply.
Taking the country as q whole.
from 1880 to 1889, anthracite and
bituminous furnished l0U per cent
Of the country's mineral heating. BY
1889, however, oil began to be heard
from and had attained rs per cent
Of the heating units. BY 1880 natural
gas attained Ga per cent Of the
heating. although II is not much
further advanced than this to the
present day, due to the habit OF gas
wells petering out after the promote
ers have left the vicinaee.
From the paltry percentage Of
80 obtained by oil in 1859, the fluid
provides IS per cent of the heating
units at the present time.
Tracing the dolorous history OF
the diminishing anthracite industry
still further one finds that = century
ago anthracite supplied nearly %
per cent Of the total heat units con.
sumed annually in the United StateA
BY 1900 this contribution had been
cut more than In half. and during
the first two decades Of the present
century 1t was cut in half again. In
1897, the last year for which figures
are available, anthracite supplied
less than ten per cent of the total
number OF heat units consumed In
the United States. The contribution
Of oil and natural gas in that year
was three times that of anthracite.
In large areas In the Middle West,
the West and the South anthracite
is regarded a. luxury. The biggest
market always has been and remains
in New England.
The hard luck that faces tho an
thracite barcns ultimately will bcne-
Mt the public. Nowadays every coal
/. dealer hapdles substitutes for an
thracitc ~ we'll as being an agent for
heating apparatus Of diverse kinds.
Long ago the anthracite kings refus-
ed to compete with each other. ex-
cert comparatively few independent
<mining companies. The modern
trend Of competition between various
Industries, of trust against trust, IL
making Roadway in the heating al
| IN many another field. The coal
| kings hold UP the price at the mines
az much M they can, but they must
realise that they are getting hard
knocks from competition, knocki
that are leaving permanent scars
They can WOO victory. or something
like il. II they show greater alacrity
In reducing their mine prices. which
would lead TO reductions all alonl
the line; but they are capitalized
rather high and their nervousness
broods fndecision. A. for the public
for once 1t has what Vas formerly {
troublesome situation well undel
hand.
i