coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

T s J5hQ
RADE BULLETIN
Vol. XXX PITTSBURGH, FEBRUARY 16, 1914 No. 6
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN:
PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY.
Copyrighted, 11114, by THE COAL TUADE COMPANY.
A. It. HAMILTON, Proprietor and Publisher,
II. J. STIIAUB, Managing lOdilor.
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR
FIFTEEN CENTS A COPY
Correspondeuce and eommunications upon all matters
relating to eoal or eoal production are invited.
All communications and remittances to
THE COAL TUADE BULLETIN,
0*.'(!-'_:S0 PARK BUILDING, PITTSBUBGH.
Long Distance Telephone L'OO Grant.
riDntered at ihe 1'ost Office at Pittsburgh as
Second Class Mail Matter.]
MASKING TIME SEEMS TO BE THE POSITION OF THE that some of the producers have offered tonnage
COAL TRADE at this time, while the miners and the at. a shaded price, but so far no one is willing to
operators are in conference over the wage agree­
ments for the coming year or two years or what­
ever term finally may be decided on when an agree­
ment is reached. In the meantime the trade con­
tinues to show a little improvement, not enough
to create surprise, but enough to show that better
times are ahead for the coal man. Mines are
still working at about the same extent they were
at. the opening of tlie month, with here and there
some little improvement shown. Car supply still
is plentiful, although the latest report shows that
tlie number of idle cars once more lias diopped
close to the 200,000 mark, with prospects of a still
further decrease in sight. This is brought about
by tlie increased activity in the iron and steel
trade, and by the general upward trend in the mark once more, and despite this increase in ton­
business outiook.
nage are more determined than ever to hold the
Labor supply is plentiful, and taken as a whole prices at the mark established during the past
tlie trade is in a position to go forward rapidly year. Efforts have been made to break this price,
or take advantage of any change in conditions that but they have been futile, save in some off grades
may come. Some chartering has been done for of coke. The increased production has been largely
lake shipments for the coming season, the bot­ due to the additional ovens fired by the furnace
toms secured taking on tbe coal for storage until
the opening of navigation.
In the Pittsburgh district the mines are operat­
ing* about GO per cent, of capacity, with cars and
labor in plentiful supply. There is not much
activity in business in the way of reaching oul
after new business, this being due in a measure
to the wage scale situation, as producers do noi
want to commit themselves just at this time when
there is a remote possibility that they may have
a higher cost production. On tbe other hand,
consumers are not stocking up materially because
they are hoping that tlie other contingency may
arise and that they may secure tonnage at a lower
figure due to the decreased production cost at the
mines. With these conditions prevailing the mar­
ket is holding firm, with a few soft spots noticeable
once in a while. There have been rumors heard
admit that this offer has been made him nor is
there any one willing to admit that he made the
offer. The local men attending the wage confer­
ence have declared their adherence to a principle
of no increased cost, and this may have some
weight in the present market conditions in this
district. Some coal lias gone south lately via
river, and this will help tbe river mines to a cer­
tain extent. Prices are held firmly at $1.30 to
$1.4u for run-of-mine coal; $1.40 to $1.50 for three-
quarter coal; $1.50 to $l.iio lor inch and one-quar­
ter coal, and slack at till cents, with a consider­
able demand for this grade of coal reported.
Coke makers have pushed the tonnage figures
above the three hundred thousand tons per week
interests, the merchant producers keeping their
tonnage down to the demands of the trade. Fur­
naces are reported starting up all over the coun­
try and this presages more fuel needs, and this
naturally will reflect on the coke market. As a