Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-04-25

We zee that the anthracite coal conf
fonies have discontinued their long es-
lnblished habit Of informing the public
- their monthly business. The Reading
4arch statement is not produced, but the
Gompany reports less business than In
1he same month Of last year, when 1t
Wns particularly poor on account of the
lkfike. when business Is poor no one
|31kes 70 tell IL, whether he bc big or
'1lttle dealer, corporation officer or an |
Individual. The inextinguishable In
cllnation Of most men Is to boast and
The habit is particularly lively In the
c0fporation officer, who loves to swell
md create the impression that he is a
great big fellow Of incstimablc value to
his company and earning several times
over every dollar Of his big salary; which
Ill the time he Is not doing at all.
1t is appointed at stated times to
these people to eat leek this is one of
the times and leck Is just in season.
There is not n coal company or railroad
company officer that can swell bit In
these days when the vernal leaves are
bursting from their winter confinement.
They ARE all as "blue rs blazes'; ON one
side are the stockholders asking for divi-
tlends, and on the other consumers ask
ing to he kept at work. IL is prime
need of the seller to keep his consumer
going, even If the dividend goes by; and
II is not surprising that the Reading
people have concluded to make the small
abatement Of coal prices TO furnaces
which we mentioned u day or two ago.
/ II amounts 10 from twenty-five to thirty
i've cents ton; not very great In itself,
/ but n considerable percentage on the
price and a very valuable and much
1 needed help to the furnaces that are suf-
1 fering from an excess Of cost produced
chiefly by excessive freight charges.
This concession Of itself will not suffice
\ TO meet the situation. The cheapened
nael must be followed by chcapened
i ffeights on ore, limestone and product /;
there Is ample room for reduction and IL
must be made. The railroad companies
I Interest requires II, and we may there
! fore expect to sce II come 40 soon as the
railroad officers are persuaded Of the fact.
1t Is true that their minds stoutly resist
this persuasion. Owing, as we have
Z. G0rhs W ttIC NcSuG vi uNctluH tIt
expectation of Stockholders, which
In these days of bad bust
ness may not be met by the present
s receipts, the railroad manager tries hard
!. 10 shut his eyes to the need of lowering
+ rates. But he will not bc able long Ia
overlook the idle mills that his policy h
causing and the lesscned receipts, from
4 large number Of local stations, due Ia
+ closed factories, will serve IA powerful
eye opener to the most stubborn case OF
railroad blindness.
The closing Of the Penn iron works
here means a loss Of about thousand
dollars week to the Pennsylvania rail.
road In freights and this is one of tn,
smaller manufactures along its line
When the big and little ones combine
IN their total or partial quietude, II
makes vast difference in the week.
~ water mark in the railroad treasury
supplied from its many rills. There
can be no general disturbance of trade
conditions which Is not quickly and
sensibly felt In a great railroad treasury
and the alert railroad officer should be
the quickest to see IA falling of in
business and prompt to apply the remedy
In lower rates to stimulate IT, And
they do 1t quickly enough when they
are urged by competitions; and put dowr
rates below the cost price of their service
5 much to their detriment. But in tn,
local traffic, which they control, they
are very slow to see the need of reduc
ion.
The chairman Of the Penn Iron com.
pany on Tuesday with great difficulty
secured an interview with the general
freight agent Of the Pennsylvania rail.
road and advised him that his mill was
shut down and awaited general rcduc-
tlon Of cost charges, or better market.
He was advised that no freight reduc-
Y ton was contemplated save in fuel rates
and to y suggestion that nothing was
carried to or from Lancaster at rate
per ton per mile, anything like as low ms
the three-quarters Of u cent per ton per
mile, reported by the railroad us its
averge receipt, he was advised that the
railroad figures were misunderstood !;
and that If he-the agent-had his way,
they would not he published that
general administration cost was not
Included and that the long Chicago to
New York haul was not to Ike compared
In cost to the Lancaster-New York haul /;
aud all that sort Of ancient statement.
But the general freight agent thought he
knew all about the industrial situation
{ and would give it consideration. In due
time we may know what the official
hatching produces.
In Oklahoma.