, 1877-06-10
COAL AND IRON,
somethlnR About Tllo4e Great Interests In
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES comblnat tions Pro-
aoI

E0neth7nK About Tllo4e Great Interests In
Pennsylvania. Gigantic Comblna tons Pro.
lecled.
Special ntspoteA TO ne 7,stuxs
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, June IA new disturb
ing feature In tho coai trale Ia rapitl1y assum.
Ing prominence. The Reading Railroad Com.
pany, which, through its cseaturc, the PhIa.
dclphEa & Reading Coal aud Iron Company,
mines almost all the coal scot over its road is
selling coal NJ Port Richmond now ut
price less than the actual cost
Of mining, plus the tolls which tho
railroad charges. ThiA practically shuts private
operators out Of The market, and they arc COM
b1n!ng 10 send coal by other roads. The great
carrying companies represent one interest, and
the Anthracite Coal Association Il union Of ali
private operators In all the regions,
making a combination Of about EN,000,-
600. These orerators can get IN outlet
BY the Pennsylvania, which reaches the Lehigh
and Schuylkill regions, and the Erie, which taps
the Wyoming aad Lackawanua districts. 1.e-
siucs this, both Companies are the posessors
Of vaiunble and large coal-tands and collterlcs
in the region. The Hillside Coal Compnnyts IN
oilshoot of the Eric Railway Company, while
tho BusQuehanna Coal Company, whose e1ten.
sive opcrations centre 1t Sau:fcokr, OH the
Hnsquehanna River, ia one OF the adJunc,s Of
tnc Pennsylvania Raroad Company, COL
Thomns 4. Scott being It's exclusive head.
While apparently assuming neutral posi-
tlon IN the coal trade, both
these corporations hare been cooperating
With tho independent operators for long PC
riod. Thu particular object Of tho nrw Asso-
ciaston ia the enlarging Of the coal traffic with
| tic Wcat. Tle Erie Canal Coupany Is
| making heavy determinations In freights 10
tnose operators who propose shipping coal
| through tic caual to Buffalo, anil from there
westward, either via the railroad or Lake Erie.
Tbs annual coa].p1oductnG capacity cem-
blned Of the interests concerned ts estimated
at t5,o0o 600. THIS eau be materially Increased
should the requirements Of the trade demand
H. The territory Occupied by those propos.nG
to connect with the combination is In the
lie northern coal-1eids Tho Indications arc
excellent for the Inauguration Of orc VI tue
Iseliest wsrs ttat the coal trude bas Witnessed,
and TINT hosti!iiles will be opened at
| an early dats ID almost certain. Already
| the coal shipments for the year, five
months only, shoE, N Increase ot i,n0,00
tons over last wear, or total OF ~ tons.
OF incroAze, because last rear the lseadlng sus-
| pended production entirely on alternate weeks
IN June. lts total shtpments for shts tnonth
% probably sox ~ nsaeass S s..x 81 Z "a 'sast e.
| Nevertheless the Company reports talcs far
| shrad Of laat seaaot,, aud the jenaul Ii so
great that vessels often haya TO walt for certain
sixes. Besides this the lcpo1s In the East h8ys
only q sr1nt supply On tlau1.
Tho Company Of course clallns 10 he making
something, - It puts tho cost prr ton At 4chuSl
Kill Haven at lces than IT.; nevertheless ln spite
ol the lowest priccs ever known. tho trade has
been, to qunts tho GpI. Trdds Journal, dull
fesrtuty dull" and with no hope Of the realE
rsopie il SskuyiIil! County. who look PER
stftenty on the bright sj1c lnu sutle little rca-
son for eonEratulstion In the fact That, the pro-
lnctfon being greater iot Msy than waa ever
cent below the eo.t0 basis.
| &pA4a| NkpateA ID NJ 7ft6HHs.
AlL1aTowN, June 9.-Ths .tpn companies Of
the S>huyikill, t.caIctl,, 6usguehanna, aud Al.
leghcpy Vallcys, arc stfll pesferting thetr plans
ness- Many prominent companies IN thy
Schu.lkil aud 'l.etigh Districts hayc notified
employees that still further reductions will b
made in the already greatly deercasri wages.
Within the past week the fhrnlx Iron Gun:
between lSand Is percent. The itcthlshen lron
and Hiecl Company has announced 10 per
cent reduction, to 70 into effect gu July
!. Wherever tron. workers hase btancbea
OF their Labor Unlon, Sons Ut Vulcan,
meetings arc being held to protest against the
open rupture has occurred Ut any point In this
section Of the State, aud It y highly probable
that none wilt occur west ct the Alleghcnies.
However, the scntiHlent among the dlssatis-
for . CONTEST with the manufacturers. 81 f1r
no open hostities hare been commenced, but
the men arc evidently preparing themselves.
Agents Of the Sous OF Vuleau aFp now travel.
tnG through thy state collecting funds to lelp
The puddlcrs xheu the strike Is inauguratcd.