The New York herald., 1863-12-04
The Coal Question.


One of the ideas advocated by the Southern
press in connection with General Lees cam
paign in Pennsylvania last summer-an idea
almost sublime in its malignity-was that the
Southern army should take possession of the
coal fields of the Keystone State, and, by proper
arrangement, effectually fire the COAL Had the
authors of that idea been able to make the at
tempt, and had it been found practicable, it is
probable that the remembrance Of that cam
pagn would have gone down to posterity in
some such tremendous disruption of the earth's
crust as we have faint evidence of in Niagara
Falls; for as far only as now explored not
less than one-third of the whole area of Penn
sylvania covers coal. Beneath the surface of
that single State there is enough coal. apparent
ly, to furnish the whole country with illimita-
BILE caloric for centuries to come; and yet in
New York city, at only one hundred miles dis
tance from the most fertile of these fields coal
sells now at eleven dollars per ton.
We have already shown in these columns
that there is no reason worthy of popular re-
spect why coal should command this price. We
will show this again. Apparently it is safe to
assume that the price Of coal through any given
series Of years must represent that natural price
that it should command, both in respect to its
own value, to transportation and to the labor
of miners Take the price Of coal in this city
for the fifteen years previous to 1863, and we
find the average to be Eve dollars and twenty
five cents per ton. That, then, is fair price->
price that pays for the coal, for the labor of
miners, for transportation to this city, and
profit besides. If labor were scarce and less
coal were mined this year than usual, the price
ought to be higher. But, instead of this, we
find that in the present year there has been
mined a surplus over last year, and that
this surplus reaches the enormous extent Of one
million and six hundred thousand tons. There
is, therefore, no reason in the scarcity Of coal
Has there been more consumed this year than
in previous years? On the contrary, there
must have been less, for none of the Southern
States now derive their supply from the North
1t is said that the immense number Of
vessels in government commission consume i'm
mensely; but o large number Of these vessels
have gone into the service of the government
| not from the shipyards. but from other bus-
ness and in their previous service they con-
sumed as much coal certainly as they do now.
! Thus there is some reason-in the surplus
! of coal on hand and in the consumption
why coal should be cheaper, but none why
| it should be dearer than usual. Nor does
| the difference between the value Of green
backs and gold give any reason why it should
be held at exactly double its natural price.
| Regarded, therefore, as a natural product, and
as an absolute necessity Of our condition of life,
the people have right to have this commodity
at the natural price; and whoever stands be-
tween the people and that right deserves popu-
lar reprobation.
Hitherto, in our attempts to trace the cause Of
this high price of coal, we came to what seemed
| to be a combination on the part Of the trans.
portation companies. That there is such CON-
bnation we cannot say; but We cannot see what
else should cause this imitation of prices. The
New Jersey Central Railroad is one organization
deeply interested in the transportation Of coal
Besides this, the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western, the Lehigh Valley, and the Lacka
wanna and Bloomsburg roads, are interested in
the same trade. Some Of these companies are
required by their charter to carry coal al
reasonable rates" The presidents OF these four
companies are respectively Mr.. ]. 7. John
ston, of this city; Mr.. c. r. Robert, of this city
Mr.. Asa Packer, and Mr.. E. Mcneil. Perhap.
these gentlemen csn throw some light on tn,
causes of the present price Of coal; and. if they
can, they certainly owe it to themselves and tc
the community to do so. Let us know who ar,
the persons who desire TO realize profit Of iv,
dollars ton on coal at the expense Of untolt
misery to the poor people of this city; who it il
that wants to acquire sudden wealth out of th'
poor mans pocket; who ii is that wishes t,
build his magnificent mansion, and cause sucl
agouies thereby in every little hovel that ne
human life is long enough to expiate; who
wishes to cover his daughters with diamonds
every gem of which might be the concretet
tears of mother clasping frozen child to he
breast.
! SHORTCOMINGS on THE Cur Gas CouPANEs-l
woRp TO THE GRAND JuRr-No corporations II
) the world are 20 profitable for stockholders a