20 



The Florists^ Review 



Mat 5, 1921 



transportation difficulty in the months 

 to come. 



Such a "no market" condition has 

 already been in evidence during the 

 early months of 1921. Government re- 

 ports show that the weekly production 

 of the bituminous mines up to April 1 

 had severely dropped below the line of 

 safety. 



While the weekly soft coal output 

 averaged 12,213,000 tons in October, 

 1920, when production for the year had 

 reached its peak, it began, with Novem- 

 ber, to drop. Since that month there 

 has been a sharp decline, week by week. 

 In the we«k ending April 2 the out- 

 put had slumped to 5,750,000 tons, or 

 approximately 5,000,000 tons below the 

 average regarded as ordinarily safe. 

 Not since pre-war days had there been 

 such a low average output. 



The fall in output since November is 

 .shown in the following figures giving 

 the average weekly output, month by 

 month: 



November 11,685,000 



December 11,429,000 



January 9,613,000 



February 7,728,000 



March 6,592,000 



The marked drop in bituminous out- 

 put since midwinter has not been due 

 to any lack of available cars, for there 

 were actually thousands of open-top 

 cars lying idle in the railroad freight 

 yards throughout the late winter and 

 early spring months. 



Nor was the low output due to any 

 inability on the part of the mines to 

 turn out t-he coal, for miners were at 

 hand to work the mines. It was, in 

 fact, due alone to the failure of con- 

 sumers to order stocks ahead. 



In other words, it was ' ' no market 

 and nothing else. And as a result, most 

 , of the bituminous mines were running 

 at only half capacity, while, in the 

 month of March, according to officials 

 of the United Mine Workers of Amer- 

 ica, 100,000 miners were idle. 

 Cars and Cost. 



If, between now and autumn, there 

 is not increased buying of coal, to en- 

 able the railroads to do more of the 

 haulinp before cold weather, a repeti- 

 tion of 1920 coal prices is not improb- 

 able. For a car shortage is certain. 

 How transportation deficiency raises 

 the cost of coal is graphically shown by 

 charts embodying data assembled by 

 the United States fuel administration. 

 In figures the story is this: 

 When the car supply The coal cost rises 



falls below normal by above normal by 



20 per cent 12 per cent 



30 19.5 



40 29.0 



BO 40.S 



60 M.S 



70 '♦» 



80 ^S" 



Applying the data given in this table 

 to anv period of car shortage, the ad- 

 vance in production cost in dollars and 

 eonts. attributable to lack of cars, may 

 rcadilv be estimated. 



A shortage of fifty per cent in car 

 supplv, such as obtained with most of 

 the soft coal mines in the spring of 

 1020, would involve a rise of from 70 

 cents to $1 a ton, and more, on the pro- 

 .hiction cost alone, varying with the 

 different mining fields. 



Present Market. 



In its review of the coal market April 

 .^0 a leading coal trade weekly said: 



"The retail attitude throughout the 

 country is one of watchful waiting. The 



domestic consumer haa not yet awakened 

 to the situation and is refraining from 

 putting in his requirements in spite of 

 the inducements offered both by the low 

 mine prices and reductions in margins 

 by the retail merchants. All in all, it 

 is a buyers' market with the attendant 

 refusal to buy. 



"The possibility of freight rate re- 

 ductions on lake coal is having the af- 

 fect of further curtailing buying in the 

 northwest. On the ranges there is little 

 demand for coal at this time, dock oper- 

 ators being able to move industrial coal 

 into the interior only in small volume. 



' ' The general slump in demand has 

 remained so long with the trade through- 

 out the country that producers and 

 wholesalers alike have settled back in 

 the hope that the industrial revival will 

 not be much longer postponed. In the 

 meantime they are out after business, 



but, generally speaking, refuse to pay too 

 much for it in the way of price reduc- 

 tions. Prices are low, but have appar- 

 ently reached the bottom, since the 

 trade is convinced that further recessions 

 will not stimulate buying. 



"The spot market on smokeless mine 

 run has stiffened slightly, so that ton- 

 nages are not moving at below $3.25 to 

 $3.40. Most of the large smokeless pro- 

 ducers are refusing to contract further 

 business at the $3.50 figure announced 

 last March, and are taking new all-year 

 business only on a basis of price cur- 

 rent at the time of shipment. Retailers 

 are taking this coal in fairly good vol- 

 ume, so that, with the railroad situation 

 in the east delaying shipments, some of 

 the shippers are about a week behind 

 on deliveries. ' ' 



Quotations on southern Illinois coal, 

 mine run, were from $3 to $3.50. 



QUICK WORK 



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OHIO GB OWEEtS I N FOU). 



Organization Growing Fast. 



Ninety-eight members in thirty d ys 

 is President Carl Hagenburger's record 

 in organizing the Ohio district of the 

 National Power Growers' Association. 

 These members are located in practically 

 every large city in the state and repre- 

 sent about 2,000,000 square feet of glass. 

 It hasn't taken much argument to con- 

 vert the average grower to the purposes 

 of the organization, for everyone real- 

 izes the need for constructive work there 

 is in this industry. In each of cities 

 visited by President Hagenburger and 

 his fellow officers a strong local organ- 

 iation has been effected and a vice- 

 president and secretary elected and left 

 in ciiarge to carry on the work. Branch 

 organizations of the parent Ohio body 

 have been created in Cleveland, Toledo, 

 Cincinnati, Youngstown, Columbus, Ak- 

 ron, Canton and Dayton. 



These branch bodies are holding 

 monthly meetings and appointing com- 

 mittees' to develop cost systems for 

 greenhouse men, the standardization of 

 the grading of plants and other ques- 

 tions that are pressing needs of the 

 industry. 



The present temporary officers are: 

 President, Carl Hagenburger, West Men- 

 tor; first vice-president, F. C. W. Brown, 

 Cleveland ; second vice-president, H. P. 

 Knoble, Cleveland; treasurer, George 

 Bate, CleveUnd; executive secretarj-, 

 L. C. Vinson ; directors, Wm. H. Tem- 

 blett, Cleveland; Wm. J. Kramer, Rocky 

 River; Lars Anderson, Rocky River; 

 Louis Koohl, Cleveland; Albert Barnow, 

 Macedonia. 



A state meeting will be held the lat- 

 ter part of May or the first part of 

 .Tune, when permanent officers will be 

 elected. Under the present plan, the 

 vice-presidents that are now being elected 

 in the various cities where community 

 organizations are being effected will 

 take the place of the present directors. 

 By this plan every section of the state 

 will have representation in the parent 

 body and can secure action on any ques- 

 tion that it may wish to bring to its at- 

 tention. And in turn the directors can 

 secure immediate action through these 



local bodies without the necessity of call- 

 ing a state meeting. 



The following is a partial list of the 

 membership at the present time: 



Geo. W. Bartholomew, Dayton. 



John R. Goldman, Dayton. 



W. Ray Murphy, Cincinnati. 



Wm. Schumann, Cincinnati. 



O. B. Murphy, Cincinnati. 



Joseph Imholte, Cincinnati. 



C. Alfred Murphy, Cincinnati. 

 Murphy Bros., Cincinnati. 

 Edwin Murphy, Cincinnati. 

 L. P. Murphy, Cincinnati. 

 Sam Kuhn, Cincinnati. 



R. Witterstactter, Cincinnati. 

 John Bruckner, Cincinnati. 



D. L. Hollinger, Akron. 

 McFarlands, Akron. 

 Otto Bindel, Akron. 



W. F. Ahern, Akron. 



William Fisher, Akron. 



John E. Smith, Unlontown. 



Schmidt i Melne, Youngstown. 



Walker Floral Co., Youngstown. 



Mansfield Milton, Youngstown. 



Chas. B. Strom, Youngstown. 



Cleveland Cut Flower Co., Newton rall.<!. 



J. W. Scott, Lisbon. 



Jamea Baum, East Liverpool. 



Adgate & Son, Warren. 



W. E. Kunkel, Warren. 



H. G. Hulbert. Hubbard. 



V. A. Cowgill, Salem. 



J. M. Knapp, Girard. 



E. C. Basinger, Columbiana. 

 C. L. Adgate & Son, Niles. 

 John Dunstan, NUea. 



T. J. Ludwig, Columbus. 



G. A. Ackerman Co., Columbus. 



Joseph Katona, Columbus. 



A. M. Hills, Columbus. 



Franklin Park Floral Co., Columbus 



R. H. Murphey's Sons, Urbana, 



Schmidt & Botley Co., Springfield. 



Fox the Florist, Cleveland. 



Brookline Floral Co., Cleveland. 



J. M. Gasser Co., Cleveland. 



Wm. H. Temblett. Cleveland. 



Fricdiey Co., Cleveland. 



Martin Janoch, Cleveland. 



Asher M. Coe, Cleveland. 



Humm & Jone.s, Oberlin. 



L. C. Hecock Floral Co.. Elyrla. 



Riverside Florists Co., West Park. 



Heepe Wholesale Plant Co.. Macedonia. 



Lars Anderson, Rocky River. 



Wm. .T. Kramer. Rocky River. 



Carl Hagenburger, Mentor. 



Kndres Floral Co., New Philadelphia. 



H. T. Miller, Alliance. 



Raobel & Son, Canton. 



Hom^r Beard. Canton. 



-Mbort J. Eden, Srhring. 



Thomas Rhymes. Tallmadge. 



Kester Bros.. Mn.s.sillon. 



Twin City Floral Co.. Uhrir-lisville. 



J. L. Schiller. Toledo. 



.=!chramm Bros.. Toledo. 



Huzel Bros., Toledo. 



Wm. F. Krueger, Toledo. 



Otto P. Kruegor. Toledo. 



Harry Heinl, Toledo. 



Chas. Koelker. Toledo. 



A. A. Suder, Toledo. 



Hall's Greenhouses, Clyde. 



E. E. Schaefer. Dayton. 



Mrs. B. Haschke. Dayton. 



Heisa Co.. Dayton. 



Filsch, tMc Florist, Dayton. 



