Daily Republican., 1885-01-05
The Coal ROOt.

Ifthe hitch in the Railroad coal-pool |
arrangement will result in making coal |
cheaper, then may we devoutly desire
that no arrangements will be reached
Sy the railroad COMPANIES concerned in
carving COAL Il has been the Gus
tom of those railroad corporations TO
regulate the coal trade TO suit their own
interests, and as they have managed to
secure the ownership OF the mines as
veil ~ the lines OF transportation, they
have been enabled TO do 1t etfectually.
Whether this is to continue depends
very much upon the equality OF ad-
yantages that may continue TO exist De-
tween them. Unfortunately the great
est mineral portions Of the State OF
Pen usylvania from which We derive
our coal supply has fallen into the
hands II few powerful corporations.
Year by year the coal lands have been
slipp NJ from the ownership OF private
parues and are now held by companies
thai need out TO pool their interests TO
regulate the amount Of coal to be pro-
duced and the price they shall pay for 1t.
As a consequence OF corporate owner
ship supplanting individual tenure oil
the coal proper lies very unnatural
condition exists in the trade. Instead
Of being regulated by the healthy law
Of supply and demand in which thu
public interests are promoted by TAI
com petition, ordinations tx in al
vance the output and price, thus de
priving the consumers of the advantage
which always follow competition 10
their custom. When the production
for Ger ain period ahead is to be jus
30 mu n, vi b the price hxed, there |
small chance for the people TO g
cheap coal The Hooking Valley GU
in Ohio is the coal reg on in that STATE
that supplies the interior towns wit
coal A despatch from Columbus
states that coal that has bee
furnished there and other cities forS2 .
trou bles amongst the miners in tn;
valley, been raised 70 81 ~ per ION.
The question arises, why is coal NJ
as cheap III Wilmington as i'll Colun
bus, Cleveland and Toledo ? Why
it within one hun red aud twenty-five
miles, % us here are almost unlimit'
deposits OF coal, that anthracite coal
one OF the dearest fuels that can
used The reason can be found only
the management of this great infere
by monopoli.s. To gain control OF Il
coal trade these mouopClies have
vested millions in buying mp the co
lands Much Of this money has be-
sunk in unproductIve properties, al
coilieries have been opened in advan
of the demand for thor productio
These OUTLAWS have hid heir eff
upon the price OF the fuel III the mi
ket, which is maintained AZ = high I
ure by pools and coubinalons 10 M
the interest on the uiiil'ns extra'
gantly invested.
The hit,'h in the present propo.
unIto Win II. me t.eaulug, deeply
debt, - more interested ~ maintain
such an Arrangement 10 keep 40 pri
and rates Of freight tHan any OF
company Interested, in Consequence
its heavy in crest account. There :
good reason Why Wilmington ,h d
not o- supplied with coal at 81 81 IA :
anyhow, II Columbus, ono, eau be :
pii.d AT = 80 per tor
A. We uave already remarked,
Penusylv tia Railr ,ad Company
retu-' d " l1in the pool, and If this '
result IN happening the price of C,
then rhe people will have fhp compa
To thank for it. The pennsy vania
completing ia connections with
coal mines, and will hereafter be
important factor in the coal operati
Of that region. l. is hoped that vi
ever com donations may be- reach
the result will lie cheaper coal tor
people.