Los Angeles Herald, Volume XXX, Number 86, 29 December 1902 — AT COAL BARONS' MERCY [ARTICLE]

AT COAL BARONS' MERCY

"Five thousand persons had bought coal by the pailful at the yard of Alfred Barber's Sons, No. 377 Water street, before 10 o'clock this morning; this is only one indication of the great demand for fuel caused by the sudden drop in the thermometer." So says the New York Evening Post in a recent issue. Continuing, the Post remarks that "perhaps never in the history of the retail coal trade have dealers had to face such a situation as confronted them this morning; in every office there were numbers of anxious buyers, and at the same time eager inquiries for coal were constantly coming by telephone; to all but a few the dealers were compelled to turn a deaf ear." Within a hundred miles of New York there Is enough easily accessible anthracite coal to supply the eastern states for ages. The present difficulty in obtaining it by consumers is only remotely related to the late strike. The mines have been In operation at full capacity for several weeks, and the transportation lines have been crowded to the utmost. The trouble noted in uie coal supply at New York has often occurred before, but never in so aggravated a form as now. All such trouble arises from the practice of the coal barons of providing barely enough coal supply for present necessity, with the object of maintaining high prices. When the supply begins to accumulate on their hands they alwav a "shut down" uie mines for a time, stop wages to employes and wait until the short supply insures continuance of high prices.