Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-02-20

NO. a.
AT this point the attorney of the rail-
road, L. j. Ports, seemed to lose his
temper, and approaching J. c. Nc
Grew asked if it was his purpose to
abrOgate that contract? He stated that
he (Portis) had advised against its be-
ing made, and would like to see it
abrogated, and the law suits reinstated
to the position they occupied when the
contract was entered OH. No answer
was made to Mr.. Ports demand, when
he said, shaking his head at McGrew:
''We'll give YOU enough of it before we
get through!l
j. q. McGrew resumed The prin-
cipal consideration that led me to sell
my stock was to get settlement of
troublesome litigation between the
company and myself. Il. NJ. Mcdowell
was put III my place. He has not i'm
mediate charge of the work. believe
he has been here three times since
was put out, last May. | have letter
here from r. NJ. Mcdowell headed
''Missouri Pacific Railway Company,
Leased and Operated lines" Letters
have received from him from st. Louis
are as from the manager Of that COM
pany's coal mines. l have a circular
signed by Il. 5. Hayes rs first vice-pres-
ident of the railroad and president of
said company's coal mines. When |
sold my stock r. S Hayes was presi-
dent of the coal company; D. s. H:
Smith was assistant treasurer of the
Missouri Pacific railway, and treasurer
of the Lexington Coal Mining Com
pany; Gen. Brown aud Mr.. P0rtis
were the attorneys for both companies
The road carried coal tor me and for
the coal company, during my connec-
ton with the latter, at 60 cents per
ton to Kansas City. This lasted about
81 years-between 81 and years. 1t
carried large quantities of coal for Inc.
| shipped, say 25 or 80 cars of coal for
the company, and or cars of my
own coal, per day. When settled with
the company it was understood that
they were to treat me in a friendly
manner. 1 prepared to do large busi-
ness, about 20 cars of coal per day. 1
know Of no reason based on advances
of labor or material to justify the ad-
vance in freights made by the company
of 15 cents per ton. The coal company
is now selling coal at cents per bushel
in Kansas City. This is less than it
costs to produce it, not to speak of roy
atty or interest on investment. 1t
costs Al cents to mine the coal; |
cent more for the other expenses
of officers, weighmasters, &c, even
more than l cent at the shaft; cents
for freight; and cent for selling ex-
penses at Kansas City. This makes
the cost of the coal 81 cents. That por-
ton of the coal taken from the compa
ny's shafts costs even more than this.
The coal is sold by MIR. Bolon, who is
the company's sales agent at Kansas
City for all its mines, at 9 cents at re-
tail; but he will not sell it at that price
to other dealers in Kansas City. Such
a course can only be profitable in the
event that the railroad and coal COM
panies are one, or that the railroad
company in some secret way pays back
to the coal company part of the freight
collected. l am very familiar with
the matter of coal shipments. Have
been in the business for years. 1 think
40 cents per ton freight on coal from
Lexington mines to Kansas City fair
rate. The Wabash has hauled coal
from Camden to Kansas City at SO and
DO cents, as rate voluntarily made,
and paid ont of that the toll over the
Missouri river bridge. One engine can
haul 20 cars. Cannot haul that many
up the grade at Independence; but one
engine can do all the work between
fha Iayin0fnp p,;noo onl Koneoe U:k,,
The train requires a conductor, an
engineer and two brakesmen. The
engine will consume 125 bushels OF
coal III round trip, worth, say cents
per bushel at the mines. We cannot
compete with the Lexington Coal
Company as things now are. We
must get lower freight rates, sell out
or lie idle. l ordinarily sell a great
deal of coal, at retail, and l believe if
the railroad company succeeds in freez-
ing us out that Kansas City and Seda-
liza will pay dearly for the whistle. I
can compete, easily, with the Lexing-
ton Coal Company if have low rates
and all equal chance. Give me a 60
cent rate as far as AtchisOn and | will
employ more men than the coal com.
pany and all the balance of us do to-day.
Last winter coal sold at Kansas City at
u % per ton, sometimes as low as
81; at cents per bushel it amounts to
81 20 per ton. The coal company while
1t sells coal at cents at retail refuses
to sell at that rate to dealers. The
intent of this is plain. 1t is done to
freeze out all the small dealers. While
they were refusing to sell coal at.9 cents
they caused their mines here to lie idle
several days, with 80 cars of coal &C.
on the tracks, giving it out
that there was no market. This in as
severely cold winter weather as we Or
have. Lexington sells a very
small part of the coal sold in Kansas
City, say 5 per cent. We could sell
great deal more if we had a fair chance.
Our proximity ought to be in our
favor. l would not object to having
lower rate made tor persons closer to
Kansas City. Keith & Perry and Jas.
BOlon want to squeeze out ali the small
operators. | was invited to Join their
but l declined. think
there is pooling arrangement between
them and the Missouri Pacific. | have
been told by reliable railroad men that
! cent per ton per mile is a big price
for hauling coal, If the roads haul at
rates coal cannot be
hauled to KansGs City from Illinois to
with Lexington coal. The
sends its men out to mines on
the railroad company's engine and
does not pay for the service.
w. +. METsKER.
| am coal dealer at Kansas City.
handled Seawelrs coal as long as |
could. l quit handling it on account
Of difficulty in getting it. I bought
400 bushels of coal from Bolon, at g
cents, once, but after that he never had
any coal to spare when l wanted it.
Before the war began coal sold at IL
cents. Coal cannot he sold, legitimate
y, at Kansas City, at 9 cents. Bolon
las exclusive control at Kansas CITY of
he Missouri Pacific coal-from Rich
Hill, Lexington and Indian Territory
mines. They are all under the same
tried several times TO
'uy coal from BolOn at 9 cents and he
would not sell it to me. The effect of
he advance i'll freight and reduction in
'rice is to drive every one else from