Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1903 — COAL WILL STAY HIGH [ARTICLE]

COAL WILL STAY HIGH

MINERS* LEADERS SAY LITTLE RELIEF 18 IN SIGHT. Vice President Lewis of the United Mine Workers of America Makes Prediction that Consumers Mnst Pay Fancy Prices for Two Years. “There will be do relief 'in -the coal situation thia winter. Phenomenal prices will be maintained for the next six months or more, and coal will be higher during the next two years than it has been in twenty years past. Grand juries may indict and government investigations may be conducted, but all attempts to bring relief will fail.” The above positive statement was made by Vice-President Thomas Lewis of the United Mine Workers of America, an authority 911 the bituminous coal situation, to a correspondent of the Chicago Dally News, at Indianapolis. His statement was indorsed by other leading representatives of the anthracite miners, who declared there could be no relief so far as the coal situation was concerned for months- to come. Many prominent delegates from different parts of tho country indorsed the views of-their na tional official and few, if any, offered any hope for immediate relief.

What Brought About the High Prices. Vice-President Lewis said: “The present conditions of the coal trade and the seeming scarcity of coal has been brought about by a combination of circumstances that cannot be regulated at this time. We all recognize a natural increase in the demand for coal in this country requires a large increase in production. The addltional increases in the demand for export and to the requirements of this country as a world power have added largely to the necessity for an increased production of coal. “In the midst of this peculiar situation the strike that took place in the anthracite regions deprived the general market of about $25,000,000 tons of anthracite fuel, which could not be replaced by the bituminous production, inasmuch as the carrying facilities used in handling anthracite coal could not be utilized to take the bituminous coal to the markets. “When the anthracite strike was ended many people were led to oelieve that the markets would resume their normal condition and that coal could be purchased at a reasonable price. They did not realize that thp railroads were already taxed to their full capacity in handling the increased tonnage of the last few years. Many people wonder why there has been such a phenomenal increase in railroad tonnage and have not stopped to think that thousands of tons of the products of American manufacturers that are being shipped to all parts of the world must first be handled by the railroads before being consigned to the vessels that take them to foreign ports. This heavy traffic could not be neglected, even for the transportation of the much-needed coal from the mines to the market.

Railroads Cannot Help Themselves. “The railroad officials, that have been charged- with conspiring to keep up prices, are not to blame. They did not anticipate such a large increase in the volume of business and did not make the proper preparations for equipping their roads with more rolling stock and motive power. Engines and cara_are needed now, but they cqnnqt be got right away or for months.to. come, and..the coal situation will not be relieved until the much-needed rolling stock and engines are secured. “There is no scarcity of coal at the mines. There are thousands of mine workers employed only four or five hours a day, not because they don’t want to work but because the railroads cannot handle the coal they mine. “The present phenomenal prices of coal will probably not continue more than six or eight months, but the selling price of coal in the next two years will be much higher than it has been for the last twenty years. “In addition to the above reasons for keeping up the prices the railroads, on account of the increased cost of construction and equipment, are going to advance freight rates on coal. This has already been done in several cases and it will be added to the Belllng\peice. “I can see no hope for relief at present and make this statement because I do not believe false hopes should be entertained by the public.’’ Representatives from the anthracite regions said the shortage of coal through the strike amounted to about 25,000,000 tons, equal td about 75,000,000 tons of bituminous, and that it would be impossible to overcome such a shortage with the present demand. They said the anthracite operators would not attempt to Increase the output, as they had a steady trade and did not want to increase it They believed the shortage would have to be made up with bituminous and declared Buch a task almost impossible.