Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-02-18
THE READING pNvEsrneArloN.
a ssassssicsan Gives Some D~0agtnG
Tc&fia0uY AGnlnsa ahe 0OaA.

TcSttosOoy Against the 8ooo.
PHnspKrrHIA. Feb. is-The Congressional m
ves1gation committee resumed It's inquiry into
the Reading Railroad strike this morning. the nrst
witness being General Superintendent sweigard
who was recalled % enable him 90 put IN evidence
the text OF the Agreement made with the em-
showing that Lee, one OF the leaders OF the labor
organization, had been I'm the pay OF the
outbreak OF the trouble. Mt. sweigard
read the clause OF the agreement which guaran-
ssmed e tss fp 1sev an sad seep rar tsi
before Discharge tor any cause. The clause on the
agreement which was read was that every man
that might have occurred through careleSsnesA
The Lee voucher was for special services rendered
the rate OF $50 day.
now THE rRIcE COAL HAS BKKN RAISED.
Upon the conclusion OF this witness testimony,
Record, who had been the slatislician OF tbs
Pacific Railroad Investigating committee, was
ca led he said that he had been investigating the
coil trade and the management of the Reading
Coal ana Iron Co. for many years, and As conse-
quence the Record had gone into the coal business
for the benefit OF the people Of Philadelphia ano
had succeeded IN reducing the retail price OF coal In
the city from $3.50 20 s4ao a ton. This was
done by the Record without pront for ftself.
siace the strike the prices sad gone up again. lie
then proceeded 20 show that the pr1ce OF coal sn
phiadelphia, from the schuy XII region, had oeen
lss9. In 1857 the wholesale price was 81 ton
Now II Is $3.50. an increase OF sl-so per ton,
4
| creased In twenty-five years about 10 per cent,
as shown by the reports OF the Reading Railroad
mines now and AID The sSms service twenIy-fiys
years ago for fl.22k. The witness quoted ngures
10 show that coal could be bought NJ Port Rich
lnond Tor ~ cents less ton II wanted for shipment
| 20 Boston or New York than was demanded ~ the
very same coal was intended for the Philadelphia
trade. MI. Norris said that last year the Reading
Railroad Co had earned IL per cent on the cost of
the road aud was one OF the most profitable roads
In the country Its losses canIe rom the necessity
/ its ffhi WI l~l
was the result of the policy OF combining the busa-
ness OF carrier with that OF a miner.
Witnesses went into a long statement of facts
| 20 show that the Reading Railroad company failed
and refused TO do Its duty under the law as a CON-
| mon carrier. IL had paid out drawbacks. II had
been Investigated by the legislature and a constl-
tutional amendment adopted % stop It's discriInt-
| nation ana abuses of It's charter.
| He said that lt had combined with the Pennsyl-
| Nania Railroad and was now giving that company's
line % the coal r gion 0O0,0oO tons OF coal year
| under an agreement 10 prevent competition. He
| believed Irom what he had heard thai the Reading
had agreed To Increase this allotment 90 l,Oo0 0O0
TONS during the present year. Although the Penn
sylvania's line was built with the promise and ex-
pectation that the competition would de crease In
| price OF coal,
PRICES HAD BEES kkrr Up AS USUAL
| and no good TO the people resulted Mr.. Norris
entered into very close detail and quoted volum-
| inous figures 10 show that the Reading Railroad
and the Reading Coal and Iron co. was taxing the
people 10 make small part Of the great coal neld
owned by IL pay the interest on the money extray-
agantly paid for II all and its losses In addition.
| lie quoted the testimony In the recent suits en-
tered into by the state 20 enjoln the Reading and
| PENNSYLVANIA roads from continuing in a coal
l combination 10 keep up coal prices 10 show that
such combinations had very recently existed He
| did not Know whether any existed now
4 or not The witness said that he had
| thoroughly investigated the statement made
| by Mr.. Corbin that the Reading
| Coal and Iron Co. had mined 5l,OoOOOO tons OF
coal from 1876 20 lss AT loss OF over si2 600 CO.,
having paid So, 600 600 the miners and received
but $44 500 600 for their output Witness said and
quoted the ngures by years from 1876 10 lsss, aud
a.ts hQT hadr al n
| been AS shown BY the companys own bDOks,
$50, ,694. 600 and thus the company had really 10
| ceiyed SO, ,o00.0 900 more than it had paid out
| Mr. Norris proceeded at length TO give the CON-
mittee great deal OF statistical data, and at tha
conclusion OF his testimony was cordially thanked
FOR the light he had thrown on Readings AFFAIR."