The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-20

against the cNtOrtlOnatc cNacliOnS ol INT II
Let us look at the facts, and |,
we refer to July, instead of August, be- 4
cause we have an exact compilation OF the $
statistics for that month before u.s. We /
pretend to no particular knowledge OF {
finance, markets. ETC., but the facts that I
we shall state they are facts-rc- |
aurc no such intimate study, as would he ,
necessary, perhaps, for one to enter into ,
profitable speculation. in order that they .
may he understood II may not be neccs-
sary to say that the price of coal is rcgu-
lated throughout New England and New
York. by its price in New York city
This. we presume, will he admitted by all.
whether Il dealer or consumer Taking
this for granted let us proceed. In july
1872. the price of Scranton coal in New
York city was three dollars and fifty-iive
cents per ton. We do not mean to say
that it. during that month. sold for no
greater or no less price, but taking all the
sales together wholesale sales-thls was
the average price. In the same month.
the present year, the average price was
some five dollars per ton. or. To he exact.
four dollars and nlnety.sX cents, nm in
crcas, of one dollar and forty-onc cents per .
ton. or exactly tortypcr cent There is no
natural or proper cause for this eNlraol-
binary increase of price. which every con
sumcr in Vermont is compelled 10 pay. |
Labor is as cheap now AS il was year ago.
/ nat
greater facility, and the means of trans
portation are the same Where, then,
shall we look for the cause! There is,
there can he, but one answer. namely: There
isa combination between five corporations,
who own. or practically control. nearly all
the coal mines and coal lands in Penns-
ylvania. They have not only, al
ready. advanced the price of coal forty per
cent, hut they declore their purpose to be
to further advance the wholesale price
thereof, before the end of November
forty per cent more. This they can and
will accomplish by continuing the same tao
tics they have heretofore. madeusc Of The
supply furnished the wholesale dealers will
u.
immutable laws of trade, prices will OF
course 90 up, and the retail dealer and con-
sumner must he llcd accordingly
This coal he it understood. is supplied
to. and paid for by the inhabitants of New
England. New York. and portions of Penn
sylvania and New Jersey. it being. in
effect, the only coal they have, and they
ought to ask themselves whether they can
remedy it? That they may see how they
, are being bled let us illustrate by actual
figures and statistics. The production OF
, anthracite coal is shown by returns to be
in the ncighborhood of two million tons
for each and every month of the year, and
> tho dor,ord 80 noarlv &c not "";tn e"ual tc
y and forty cents per ton over the price OF
!, last year, to which we have already re-
q felrcd, makes the additional sum of t,cc
miltions eight hund,ed ami t,renty Mousond
dollors, which consumers are compelled to
i pay monthly for coal, even if it should re-
main at present prices. Within three
months and a half from this time, if the
p monopolists have their own way, they will
f be compelled to pay double this price.
This is not theory or speculation, but is
n deduced from actual facts and the de
G cared purpose of the five companies who
in effect, supply this portion of the United
! States with an article of prime necessity
q There are, to be sure, ten or dozen, more
q or less-probably less-owners Of small
9 coal fields, some of them quite wealthy
4 who make it the whole or a part of theil
business to mine coal, but most of the
: poorer ones are dependent upon the mon,
p opolics mentioned for means of transpOrta
q ton, while the more wealthy owners are
stockholders or directors in the same com
panies. The result is that the whole Goa
interest so far as il effects New England
l. is controlled by one vast, gigantic, OPP
f presslve, soulless monopoly, and we, the
+ people of Vermont, are suffering from thcil
4 grinding eXtortions. We have written
q thus much in order to show how our citi
4 Zens became interested in coal. how, in q
!. mountain state, it became mn article OF
necessity in house, store and shop, why its
price is of Importance to MS, and also, t.
. show by actual figures that we are paying
forty per cent more now for coal than last
!, year, and that it is more than probable
y that we shall. within less than four months
" he subjected to an additional increase Of
forty per cent. We have already exceeded
: the space that we intended to occupy, and
: therefore, leave it for to-day, but will
tomorrow, show why we believe this in
y, crease of price to be unnatural and forced
u the result Of Il combination and monopoly
' and that more than fair remunerative pro
= fits could have been made at last years
> prices.