The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-09-13
The Coal Trade,

u
: The negotiations for the settlement OF
the controversies among the anthracite coal
trade are still progressing, and Judge Lath-
rop, in whose hands the cnthe matter
seems to have been left by the tacit consent
Of all parties, has secured favorable replies
from some OF the parties, and hopes by the
middle of the week to be able to report
definitely as to all. This much is known,
that the Delaware Lackawanna and West
cru Railroad has signifed its willingness to
accept the plan of curtailment suggested in
Mr.. Governs letter; that parties authorize
lively connected with the Lehigh Valley in
terests have stated that the latter company
would consent to periodical stoppages when
ever the market is overstocked sufficiently
to cause reduction of prices. The Penn
sylyania Coal Company is willing to unite
in curtailment Of production and the main
tenance Of lair prices but thinks that such
curtailment should be enforced as well in
October, and possibly in November, as in
September. The Delaware and Hudson
Canal Company has not yet been heard from
in any other manner than by the published
letter of its president suggesting arbitration
upon the question of quotas, but, as Mr..
Dickson has been absent from New York
during the entire week, his definite answer
is not expected until Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Central New Jersey Company untes
with the Reading in promptly agreeing to
join in either of the plans suggested by Mr..
Gowen's letter, and it is to be hoped that
further consultations during the present
week may bring about some satisfactory
solution of the question. 1t has generally
been understood that the opposition of the
Lchigh Valley to accept a quota of the re-
stricted production for September, Deem
Der, January, February and March is in con-
sequence Of the fact that their proportion of
tonnage is much less this year than it was
under the agreement of last year. 1t is
claimed by the Lehigh Valley that this is
due to the fact that they purposely shipped
but little coal in the winter, and we are told
that the other companies very generally are
willing to give the LehiGh Valley its pro-
portion of tonnage bassd upon its shipments
of the last five or six months, excluding
those of the winter, and, in any event, it
seems to lis that as the quotas are to be
only for five months production the amount
which each company would lose by any
distribution, as compared with what it
would gain by the adoption of the plan,
would be as about ten thousand is TO mil
lion of dollars, and, therefore, though We
might look for a severe struggle upon the
question of percentages if they were to last
for any entire season or more,we cannot con-
ceive that there should be much difficulty
where they refer to so small an amount of
tonnage as would be shipped during the five
months of curtailment. Indeed, we know
that three or four of the largest companies
have signified their willingness to submit
this question ofquotas, if it becomes trou-
blesome, TO arbitration, and in view of the
great benefits to be derived by each COM
pany from the improvement to the trade,
we trust that as they are now SO nearly in
accord as to the main question, of getting a
fair price for their product, they will all be
willing to submit all minor questions upon
which they cannot agree to the arbitrament
of some tribunal whose character would
satisfy the community of the justness OF its
decsion.-Lodger, Monday.