, 1876-08-30

WR8 ula9OlFeu 1e" QaTb ago az An nSHEy
meeting in Now York hos had remarkable
history. In 1879 tie pMladotphia & Reading
Company obtained a now charter ~ tile
Reading Coal l. Iron Company, to own
mud work coal mines and lands in Ponnsy1va-
mia. The Company bought coal lands and
interests in schuylkill County, producing
2,70o,oOO tons Of coal annually, paying
therefor SEQ, 900. GOO. Tho other coal inter-
esta in the county produced s, ,24o, 600 tons
yearly, and to these tho Company offered
combination, tho owners to receive cor
tain Rum per ton for their coal. Tho offor
was accepted, and the price at which coal
WINS to be sold was to be fixed at monthly
meetings Of tho producers. Tho hrst fixing
Of prices WINS in January, 1873, to which tho
Lchigh Coal Il Navigation Company, the
Delaware, Lackawanna i Western Railroad
Company, and tho Wilkosbar1e Coal l. Iron
Company were parties. The Pennsylvania
Coal Company, Lohigh Valley Railroad Com.
rany, and tho Recalling Company subsequent
ly united. Ia February an advance in tie
price Of coal was A1od, and 30, from timo to
time, tbs prices hnvo been ever sincs fixed.
In January, 1876, tho Companies established
regulations Tor tho trade. Each OF tho si1
Companies was to be allowed to deliver at
the shipping points 10,00o, GOO Of tone. The
uo'nl,ah'eS y. were s1'o 1onow'ng: Ihero "efo
Roading Iehigh Valley, Nov Je1scy Central,
Delaware & Hudson, Delaware, Laekawanna
b Western, and Pennsylvania Coal Com
Pany' - o'"no'ng COMMITTEE was appoint
eo 1or tho year' 70 moot monthly
IN fonruafy, 1o'o' taoro waa anoehor fegu'
lat1oh aaop1ed' ana ths prices fixod for the
yeas. mr.. ASA fAohzh' freaident OF tho
nonlgn sn'iaS i'nifoao' lo'o8oa 70 JOIN tue
co'ao'ha.'on' pat seteeo 10 eatfy out tho
wlsnea OF tue companies operating in the
Ao''gh region oa. IN Apfn II was d1aeov-
e'oa tnat eno Aoh'en sa,'e9 operators md
ss''1 ! Ivo,ooo IONS o1 coa. 70 market moro
tn@n tho!r peopor1'on OF inc wholo produc-
!'on' 1i'' oreaon CT 1a'1n was patched up
leh'por'1nJ' out 'us oata is'tn WIS repeatod,
"n"' nna''y, " tae nugust 1neatlng, tho
wholo como'ne''on was uassolVea' Al the
compahAoe eng"soa IN tn'a s1ng "oro coal
m1lnnB ~ wen a. transportation companies,
except tno Lenien valley ha1lroad Company
ona tho oonf9al Aa''way company OF Now
'ersoy' tno latteF owning Tue Aeh18h q s1s-
quehanna halfway.
This was exclusively q combination Of the
operators OF anthracite coal. This coal lies
along tho Valleys OF the 6chuylkill, Lehigh,
Lackawanna, and Wyoming Rivers. These
railroad and canal companies hayo monop-
oily OF tho transportation. aud also Of the
coal lands and mines, which they either own,
or NJ lessees or otherwise control. Road
ing, Wllkesbarre, aud Scranton are tho cen
tres OF theas several regions. The ponula-
tion is denac, and aro all directly or Indirectly
concerned in the production or transporta-
ton Of coal. by including tho Leligh Val.
10y Hallway Company and the Central New
Jersey ltailway Company, tho combination
VIVA able to dictate to the pound how much
anthracite coal should be shipped from tho
mines to market aud how much each Company
ahould ship, and the pricea at which 1t should
beaold Thislcaguo was successfully operated
until this spring, whom tho Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company, being purely a trans-
portation company, rofrsod to be limited In
tho amount OF its business, and transported
oil the coal offered to 1t without regard to
tho regulations Of tho league. The main
purposes accomplished by tho league during
its existence was the prevention of compcti-
ton. No company waa allowed to soil more
than prescribed amount Of coal. It plso
accomplished possibility Of having q nor.
morcncv ir thn r,rinos the onntrn1 ~ tho
amount to bo sold enabled them to dictate
tho price ut which 1t was to DO sold. To sell
coal ut TINT price 1t was necessary to limit
production, md, a. either ono Of tho fou.
districts could produce "a much coal o. the
annual sales Of tho combination, wo have au
explanation OF tho reason why tue mincs ara
| only worked at intervals, throwing the
miners out Of employment moro than hall