Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-05-08

Bltaminous lloal Rates.

BltuminOss Coal Rates.
|he Pennsylvania railroad announces
1Iuctfon Of five per cent. on its rates
enight to the consumers along its
~ making It's rate from the Clearfield
I'm to Philadelphia ~ per gross ton,
II TO Lancaster Sill. The haul to
ki1adelphia Is two hundred and fifty
9Des, and to Lancaster one hundred
I'D eighty. The charge, II will bc seen,
= nearly q cent ton per mile TO Lam
|uter aud eight-tenths Of q cent to Phil
1eIphia, which Is more than the average
9Ice the company reports that II receives
Il all classes Of Its freight, although coal
ID raw material which " supposed to
- carried mt the = very lowest
1nte of freight. II oaght to be q revela-
: lon to those Who govern the state in
&she name Of the people, to find that Its
ecple are charged more for carry
Elng coal from the mines In the state to
III borders, than the average rate Of
Ieight that the company says it receives
~ all the classes Of goods that 1t trans
ofte. II the governors Of Pennsylvania
&Rerc not the creatures Of the corpora
flons such discovery would bring the
2|GA3lr0ad officers 10 their knees with ex-
II 1anation aud apology and promise Of
&ef0rm. But the people Of Pennsylvania
will get no assistance from governor or
legislature in their effort to secure freight
|tates as low as the people Of other states
4 For II is clear that the people Of other
<sG4ates get lower rates than they do. How
4 else can the article that Is carried for the
people Of Pennsylvania cheaper than
my other article, yet cost them more for
&arriage than the average cost of all the
r |spcmmodities carried by the railroad?
This coal carrying business affords an
&xplanation Of the way the rail
{ lBads do business and shows how
He consumers Of the state are
eeced. The competition between the
CoAl producing sections compels the
Yoilroads of the state TO carry coal Ia
;lade water, for shipment 10 places outside
II The state, at prices that they are unwill-
ing TO make to Pennsylvania places,
Where the sharp competition does not
exist or il controlled by agreement ; and
consequently they have boldly ANNOUNCED
10 rate for carriage 10 Philadelphia
4 lor shipment there that Is less some
thirty cents, We bclieve-than the rate
u lbr the Philadelphia consumer. The
aaeociation Of soft coal shippers that has
n 4 peevailed for several years kept this rate
with some fixedness, but this year
He scramble for business has broken
p the association, and the contracts
1At have been made for the delivery
Il coal 10 New England ports show that
ne carrying rate 10 Philadelphia has
een below $50 per ton, and doubtless
Ae price will fall as low as si.25 in the
Il %e1Iort TO get tho. business. Thi'
on the line of the railroaa. t'
81 New England customers, who All
B thus brought as close to the Pennsyl
ii vania mines as the Pennsy lvania people
e lust as the prairie farmer is brought n,
Il close to the Pennsylvania seaport as the
Lancaster county farmer. Competition
docs IL. The Pennsylvania coal close
In position 10 the Pennsylvania factory,
s r no closer In truth than outside factor
1es, because the coal of Maryland and
Virginia II carried down TO the seaboard
4 % compete for New York and New
81 England trade, and compels the Penn.
1ylvania carrier to make his prices tc
szguit.
Such state Of things If continued will
ehut up Pennsylvania factories but Il
81 cannot be continued when the people o
the state awake to the wrong. They
have the remedy in their hands. They
need but TO choose a Legislature pledged
81 TO enact n law that will pul
IN Jail the railroad officers whs
charge more for the same amount
~ service to Pennsylvania people than
they charge To the people of othel
g regions.
The acknowledged rate of bituminou,
c0al for shipment at Philadelphia, les
than the rate to the Philadelphia user
should of itself put in Jail all the mel
n who make II and this no one can doubt
II cannot be defended il is a bare face,
Ii act Of robbery.
The Pennsylvania railroad is not NOR,
q guilty than any other probably, save il
g the fact that ii is the leading carrie
Of bituminous coal To philadel
phia. There are but two firm
who send coal to Philadelphia froil
the Clearfield region in any quau
& tity, for shipment. They are the Bel
vind-White company andJohn G. Scot
= Sons. In the delicate business that
Il engaged in the railroad officers pr. :,
81 70 connect with as few people as pc ".
bic and this may be the reason that onl,
these two firms are able to make salts
4actory shipping arrangements in tn
matter of coal.
IT IL not necessary TO suppose that III
SffoilrOad officers are interested indiyl
nally In the operations ofthese firms L
ecount for the favor they get but Ger
ta1nly great discretion is confided I
lem, NJ they seem To be ahl
lo 60 into the market and tax
1g contracts for coal for shil
nent at the best prices that they cal
t. No one has such privilege with III
Radc along the line Of the railroad
xhlch IL expected 10 sing songs q
thanksgiving over ten cent slice cut OF
lfOm the fat rate.