The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1883-01-18
THE COAL QUESTION.

The following is u copy of a letter sent to
the board Of county commissioners from the
Pittsburg Coal Company. The fight between
that company and the railroad company has
been lively one, but the letters contains
| some rather startling assertions affecting our
coal trade:
PITTsBURG, January 8, 1888.
g. W. Steearod, Chairman Board County Com
missioaers, Wichita, .sedgwick County, Kan
sas:
DEAR SIR-Referring TO the request made
by you. on my recent visit to Wichita, that
our company submit to your board bid TO
furnish Sedgwick county with our shaft coal
for period Of one year, permit me to say
that the reason then assigned for our reluc-
lance to enter into time contracts, namely
the great uncertainty Of n continuance Of
any thing like reasonable freight rates on the
st. Louis & San Francisco Railway, already
proves to have been well-founded, as. to-day
while we were considering the advisability
Of complying with your request. the agent
Of that railway, at this station, informed me
that new tariff had already taken effect on
the st. Louis & San Francisco advancing the
freight rate on coal from Pittsburgh to WITCH.
tia from s2.4e to $500 per ton, being an ad.
vance of ITO per cent.
This is more money by fifty cents per ton,
than We ever received for any coal shipped
to Wichita, 80 that this railway. after con6s.
eating the car load Of twelve tons of coal-st
the very outside worth 81 at Wichita-mod.
estly mex us to contribute ut least 5000 In
money to make up the sum of 800 which they
charge for freight.
Under existing circumstances IL We were
to undertake to supply your board with fuel
we shall have to donate the coal and pay
somewhere from six to ten dollars per car for
the privilege of making such donation, and
even that 10 not its worst phase, rs, should
the management OF that railway ascertain
that time contracts had been entered into by
parties other than the Rogers Coal Company
the freight rate would, beyond a doubt, be
advanced again within ninety days, az it has |
been three times within the past twelve
months to all except the Rogers Coal Com |
pany.
for the express and svowed purpose Of pro- |
tecting the very peculiar interests Of the |
Rogers Coal Company, the majority Of the |
stock OF which coal company 10 owned by /
the st. Louis & San Francisco Railway Com. /
pany and the board of directors Of such coal
company Is made up almost wholly Of the
general manager, master Of
-. Al loft at voeSv
tendent Of the st. Louis & San Francisco
Railway, the accounting officer Of the coal
company being likewise the auditor Of the
railway. Owning both coal mines and rail-
wsy 1t matters not to the railway people how
much of the price at which their coal is sold
10 called freight. But, rs you will readily see,
the more OF such price as they are able to
denominate freight the more enectually do
they shut out all other shippers who, per-
force. must actually pay this high rate Of
freight and add it to the selling-price Of their
coal. No better scheme could be devised for
the price Of coal and monopoliziDg
he business, as the president Of the Rogers
Coal Company has recently stated that it was
he intention Of his company to do.
The rate Of $500 per ton is 2.55 cents per
;on per mile, while in 1881 the st. Louis 4
San Francisco Railway transported coal from
to wichita for the Oswego Coal
Company - well as the Pittsbnrg Coal Com.
,any for S1.66 per ton, being just one third
II the present rate, or s.. 100ths of one cent
YER ton per mile which they then deemed .
air and remunerative rate. At that time,
lovever, neither the railway company or its ,
'6icials were engaged in the coal business.
I 50 cents per ton per mile was remunera-
I've rate in 1881 and part Of 1852, what kind
4 rate is 2.55 cents per ton per mile in
Ss5! II
Those having any knowledge Of cost and
aluc Of transporting so cheap and cumbrous
product ~ coal, know that one cent per
nile on hauls over any considerable distance
high rate and the officers Of this same
ailway said so when they paid the rate nom
'ittsburg to wichita-lo6 miles-at s. cents
'er ton per mile.
Such being the situation, we most respect
nlly decline tn submit any bid to supply
our board with coal a. this advance in :
reight rates-which 10 also made to al other II
oints on the line Of the st. Louis I San 3
'rancisco Railway-absolutely renders It .
upossibls for us to ship coal ovor that road :
} points more than = miles from our mines
Iithout having it, entire value con6scated d
nder the guise Of freight charges thus fore
" us to market our entire product over an
her railway whose oalcers and owners are
Of engaged In the business or mining and
hanns,1 eoal Yourn truly
C. WOOD DAVIS. President. =