The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-10-09

33,500,000 tons. Here follows the num-
Der of tons allotted to each corporation,
and the percentage of business each ms
permitted to have by the pooling system. !
The Governor then rccites the various
meetings of the coal pool at which an
advance of thirty centsper ton was agreed
upon and says; "These general advances
in the price ofcoal are believed to be the
forerunners of other aud additional
advances, the effect of which will be To
increase the profits of the companies com
prising the combination by increasinp
the cost to consumers of an article that
constitutes one of the necess ities of living
in the most populous sections of the State
Recently, through the Offices of a syndi-
cate of capitalists there has been n
strengthening of the Anthracite Coal
Combination and the claim is now made
by some of the members that they can
mark up coal prices to any figure they
please, thereby subjecting the public to
their mercy, iniuriously and unwarrant-
able taxing every financial burden
which the speculations Of some of these
companies have engendered. Although
the State Constitution declares that no
incorporated company, doing the business
OF a common carrier shall, directly or
indirectly, prosecute or engage in mining
or manufacturing article for trunspor-
tation overits roads, yet all, or nearly
all, of the common carriers represented
in the Anthracite Coal Combination are
engaged, directly or indirectly, in the
mining Of the coal.
The Anthracite regions of tn State
are practically under the controlor this
combination. For long periods it has
Kept the mines running on 'three-uuarter'
ilme, thus putting nearly one hundred
thousand workers ON what amounted TO
'three-quarters' pay. BY hindering COM
petition 1t has restricted the develop-
ment, OF our great mineral wealth. It'll
has advanced or depressed the prices of
coal as best suited its purposes. 1t has
maintained the price of coal to the line
and city trade at figures ranging more
than one dollar per ton over and above
the prices at which it sold the article to
consumers located further from the mines.
but in territory that did not come within
the terms of its agreement. 1t has
advanced the charges for Transportation
in face of the fact that the net earnings
OF the carrying companies belonging to
the combination amounted to about 10
per cent, per annum of the cost of the
roads and their equipment, and of the
iurther fact that charges are higher
than they were twenty six wears ago,
though the cost transportation of ton |
OF lrelghts does not to-day amount to
more than one-third of its cost at that
time BY restricting production and by !
advancing prices it has crippled vast |
IRON interests, decreasing the demand |
Tor Anthracite coal in the reduction of |
iron ores, forcing iron furnaces out of
blast, and placing nearly all the indus
tries OF Eastern Pennsylvania at the |
mercy of the managers of these COM
panies.
Against such combinations the in
divldual is helpless. The Common
weaIth of Pennsylvania, in creating cor
poratIons that are members of the An
ihracile Coal Combination, vested them
with the right of eminent domain and
other franchises ofa public nature. They
lwe certain duties 10 their creator. and
me of these is to avoid an Infringement
lpon the rights of individuals or the
general well being of the State. There
Interference with the natural currents
md condition of trade has been in viola
ion Of what is belieyed to be sound
public policy and against the best inter
SITS of the State. 1t prejudices the pub
lc and oppresses individuals. 1t is
'erversion ofthe purpose for which they
we're created. These facts which have
lecn reported to me and mensurahlv au-
henticated, | deem of sufficient IMPORT
nee to refer to you for your considera-
ION and for such action as the circum-
tances may warrant [Signed]
RoBERT + PATrisoN Governor