coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

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GOAL TRADE BULLETIN
Vol. XXX PITTSBURGH, MAY 1, 1914 No. 11
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN;
PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY.
Copyrighted, 1914, by THE COAL TRADE COMPANY.
A. R. HAMILTON, Proprietor and Publisher,
H. J. STRAUB, Managing Editor.
TWO DOLLARS A YEAR
FIFTEEN CENTS A COPY
Correspondence and communications upon all matters
relating to coal or coal production are invited.
All communications and remittances to
THE COAL TKADE BULLETIN,
9_6-'J30 PARK BUILDING, PITTSBURGH.
Long Distance Telephone 250 Grant.
[Entered at the Post Office at Pittsburgh as
Second Class Mail Matter.]
PRACTICAL STAGNATION CONTINTJ.ES IN THE COAL
TRADE at this writing, with only slight encour­
aging signs showing here and there of better
things to come. Prices continue to hang at list
figures, but the movement of coal is slow and this
fact is conducive to little movement in prices.
Of course, the wage scale negotiations now going
on in the different districts have something to do
with the conditions that obtain in the trade and
probably will continue to bold sway until some­
thing definite is done along tbe line of settlement.
Operators do not know just what their coal will
cost them until the wage question is settled, and
are, therefore, not particularly anxious to get out
a large tonnage with the knowledge that they may
lose on it when wage conditions finally are dis­
posed of.
There is some coal going forward to the lower
lake ports, but it is in such small amounts that
it almost is negligible and this phase of the trade
probably will not enter into activity until later
in the present month, if it does not even drag
over into June.
Mines throughout tbe country are working iu
but small numbers. In some of the larger fields
the shut-down is almost complete, and in others
probably 10 per cent, will cover the total opera­
tions, while in some few fields it will run a little
higher. The bare fact of this is shown by the dry coke.
huge increase in the number of idle cars reported
in the latest bulletin of tlie railway association.
In the Pittsburgh district tlie operation of the
mines is on a decidedly small scale, and the trade
practically is stagnant, with demand not at all
strong. Some mines are operating but these
mostly are mines owned by the large corporations
that supply tbeir own fuel needs, and those that
have contracts which call for steady tonnage.
There is but little coal going forward from tbe
district to lower lake ports, and, like otlier dis­
tricts, this one will see a late start in this branch
of the trade this season. With tbe number of
mines idle, and the small demand, producers are
not making any attempt to do anything in the
way of prices save hold them at card rates, which
is being successfully accomplished, and which
are: $1.30 to $1.10 for run-of-mine coal; $1,40 to
$1.50 for three-quarter coal; $1.50 to $1.60 for
inch and one-quaiter coal, with slack at SO to 90
cents.
The coke manufacturers have run into a slump
in production that may continue for some weeks,
at least. The last report shows a decrease in
weekly tonnage, and the news of the shutting
down of furnaces during the last few days of
April is not likely to bring about anything but
continued curtailment in tbe tonnage manufac­
tured. In this the coke men have learned wis­
dom and when demand shows a falling off tbey
do not hesitate to curtail the production. The
result is that they had but little, if any difficulty
in maintaining the prices tbey have fixed as the
minimum. While tbe tonnage last reported is
less than that of several preceding weeks, yet it
is far above that of tbe opening of the year, show­
ing that the demand lias not fallen off as much
as has been the case in the bituminous branch ot
the trade. Coke manufacturers are holding their
product firm at card figures, which are: $2.50 to
$2.75 for furnace coke and $3.50 to $3.75 for foun