The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-31
CITY INTELLIG ENCE.
For oddftiona! city Items see strth page.
THE COAL TRADE.

The Wages Rate for Becember-Th Vote for
suspeusion-The seascn-Tho Complete Tom
mage for the Week-Qnotations. Etc.
The committees representing the wOrkingmen and
the operators Of the Schuylkill region met last Sa
turday and fixed the average price of coal for the
s217 per ton, and accordingly ordered wages to be
paid for the month at reduction OF 24% per cent.
The committee also came to an agreement on the
subject OF the amount OF decline necessary TO make
the 81 per cent. reduction, about which there was
80 much difficulty in November. They now agree
TO allow rise fall Of one per cent on every three
cents per ton advance or decline In price. This fs
fair arrangement either than fixing the rate at
the nearest twenty y-hve, or of not allowing the re-
ducton to be made until the lowest limit OF the divi
sion is reached.
At meeting of the General Council OF the w. B.
A. the vote ordering the suspension ON the 10th OF
January stood II TO 9. Five delegates from Scnuyl-
XIII, three from Northumberland, and one from
Columbia county voted against the suspension Du
mously % in favor Of it. It has agreed that during
the proposed suspension, all work OF timbering and
repairing might go on, and all slopes now In the act
Of sinking second openings and rock tunnels.
might be driven, provided that no coal cut in so
doing be run through the breaker and shipped to
Now that the coal season is over and the CONNER
cial year about to close, word about the business
OF the year will not be out Of place. 1t is pretty
generally agreed by all parties engaged in the busi-
that the past season has not been satisfactory
for many reasons although the tonnage figures may
show what appear to be very good results. The
trade of this port with New FORK has been almost
entirely nterfered with by higher rate Of toll on
our carrying company than the market would bear.
We were formerly the coal port par excellence, and
New York was obliged to draw largely for her SUP
plies upon US During the last season 1t was found
possible for New York to obtain coal direct from her
mines at cheaper rate than that at which we could
furnish it, although her mines are twice as far
from here as ours are from US. AS a consequence
Philadelphia merchants have not been able to do
anything In New York as they have been accus-
toned TO. The higher tolls were put upon the coal
10 make sure of the ten per cent. dividend to the
stockholders Of the carrying company which was
guaranteed at the last election OF officers The
newspapers generally praised the company for rails
ing the dividend according to the agreement, not
being far sighted enough to see what the effect
will be.
Such policy persevered in will tend to the ulti-
mate abandonment Of our port as a coal port, aud
with the great coal business goes away nearly all
the other shipping business OF the city, when the
port to all ntents and purposes would be as good as
Working Of ali the coal fieds including our own near
field OF Schuylkil from the port of New York direct
which end viii be accomplished sooner than is ex-
pected II PhiladelphianS are not more wide awake
The present method OF managing railways Is by
controlling newspapers and legislatures; and the
newspapers generally are foolish enough not to see
that in some instances such control, resulting in a
strict silence on disputed points, Is directly to their
injury, though seemingly the reverse The old con-
servave spirit of the Society of Friends was very
good thing when this city was in its infancy and did
things on small scale, but now that the city Is
larger and conducts larger business enterprises 1t Is
an evil. Where large business interests are con-
cerned, a goahead, pushing, and thoroughly busl-
ness public spirit Is necessary.
1t was no fault OF our ancestors that Philadelphia
became a coal port in the first place. 1t be-
came 80 because 1t happened to be near the
mines. Our fathers sat STILL saw the business come,
and were satisfied. But il we wish it retained, it
will not do for US to act in a like manner, or our
advantages Of situation will go for nothing on ac-
count OF the business enterprise of those who make
their enterprise overcome all disadvantages. When
the trade is gone and the port is ruined forever,
there will be a general weeping and wailing but 1t
will be too late then to help what very little pre-
caution and foresight Will now prevent.
The following is the complete summary OF the
trade for the past week and year as reported for the
Pottsville Miners Journal OF to-day