Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-10
TOLLS ARE TOO HIGH,
And Pittsburg's River Coal Operators
Just Jump Upon Them.
NO FAITH IN UNCLE SANS WAY,
And So They Take the Matter Into Their
Own Hands as Persuaders. -..
LocKAGE TAX OF OVER $500 AN ACRE

The Monongahela river coal operators of
this city have about come to the conclusion
that they car get no relief from the Govern
ment in the matter of lockage tolls In view
of the fact that they resumed work at their
mines at the Scent rate last Monday, they
have found it necessary to curtail expenses
in other directions. They are now about to
agitate reduction in lockage tolls. from
the Monongahela Navigation Company. If
this fails, they claim it will be then necessary
to again reduce wages.
The object in curtailing expenses is to en-
able them to better compete in the lower
markets with the operators of other the dis
tricts. They claim the latter are crowding
them out of the business by selling at prices
below those asked by the Pittsburgers.
They tried to show the miners that it was to
the interest of both employers and EN-
ployes to accept a reduction of wages: but
the miners could not see it. They positively
refused to work for less than cents, and,
on account of their impoverished condition
lowing to the mines being closed since De-
cember y, the operators set them to work
at the Scent rate until the matter could be
settled without trouble.
When the mines were closed, November
80, the reason given by the operators for the
suspension was that the lower markets were
glutted with unsold coal. Since then it has
developed that the real cause consisted of
the inroads made by competitors who were
underselling the Pittsburg operators on ac-
count of the cost of production being less.
At the meeting of the Coal Exchange last
Friday week the operators decided to re-
sumo at the Scent rate, on condition that
immediate steps be taken 10 make the oper-
ators
IN THE KANAwHA DISTRICT
pay the same. The representatives of the
miners who were present said that some
thing would be done at the Interstate Con-
vention at indianapolis to make uniform
rate for the Monongahela and Kanawha
rivers. Upon this assurance work was re-
sumed at the mines up the river.
When the delegates (Messrs. John A.
Wood and Addison Lysle) who were sent
to indianapolis to represent the Mononga-
hela operators were refused admission to
the convention, they returned home with
out doing anything toward securing this
uniformity. The convention has since ad-
journed, and nothing was done about the
matter.
The Pittsburg operators were disappointed,
and looked about them for other means to
lessen the cost of producing ton of coal.
They finally tried to secure reduction in
lockage fees, and let the labor leaders fight
it out with the Kanawha operators. To do
this, committee was appointed to devise
ways and means and report to the Ex-
change.
The committee held their first meeting
yesterday afternoon. 1t did not adjourn
until nearly o'clock. When asked the
object of the meeting, the committeeman
were as close as a steamboat hold in warm
weather. They positively refused to say
what they had been talking about. A
member of the Exchange. who was not at
the meeting, and who did not know what
had been done, was seen after supper, and
said:
The coal operators are going to do something
to enable them to make little money out of
their hazardous business. For the past few
years the trade has been growing worse and
worse, and the cause is too much competition.
When we get fleet of coal into any of the
Southern markets we have TO enter into direct
competition with the operators of the Kama
wha or Virginia district, the Green river or
Kentucky district the Alabama coal fields and
the Hooking Valley, Illinois. Indiana and Ohio
districts The Hooking Valley people have
forced us away from the Cincinnati market, on
account of the short railroad haul and the ad-
vantage of being able to get into the market at
all seasons of the year. They build up a good
trade all the year around, while We have 10 wait
until there is rise in the river to enable us to
get our coal out Just about the time we get
out and get to Cincinnati we find the market
glutted, and we have to seek buyers further
south. The further south we 60
THE GREATER THE EXPENSE.
When we get to New Orleans we find the
Kanawha coal there, which did not have to be
transported such long distance. In addition
to that, the mine owners only pay 2 and ~
cents per bushel to have it mined. and the
screen laws are not 10 fine as they are in Penn
sylvania.
Independent of all this, the operators do not
have to pay lockage fees for the reason that
the Government owns the locks and dams in
the kanawha river.
for the purpose of doing something to get the
lockage fees reduced. The Monongahela Navi-
cation Company has a big thing, and can rest
assured that the Government will not assume
control of the lower locks for years to come, if
it buys them at all. 1t costs the PittSburg
operators each year about SOC, 900 to bring their
coal from the mines to this city. This does not
include what they pay for empty boats return
ing to be loaded.
If own mine in the first pool or between
lock No. and 2 it will cost me 80 cents per
thousand bushels to bring it through the one
lock- If it comes from the second pool it will
cost me 81 so. If from the third pool. So 45
and if nv mines are in the fourth pool there is
of coal bring to this city. When the boats
are being returned it costs 81 each, and the
steamboats, which propel themselves have to
pay 4 tax of so cents.
a has been estimated that there are 100000
bushels of coal to the acre in the first second
and third pools In the fourth pool, where the
coal seams are thicker, we can get l50. 600 BUSH
els 10 the acre. In year we get out about
1000 900 tons. Now, why we should be COM
PEELED to pay tax of cents per ton. or be-
this city is more than 1 can see, when the
Kanawha operators do not pay anything
We have tried to make the Representatives
of the Government see the necessity of buying
or confscating the locks, beginning at this end
We are satisfied that our case is hopeless
there. If we do not get the lockage rates re-
duced, why, there is nothing else to do but en-
force a reduction OF wages to a point the same
as those paid on the kanawha river. l can
assure you. though, that for the present the
Scent rate we are paying will not be reduced.
The amount of money paid to the naviga-
ton company by John A. Wood & Son last
year was S17, ,404 "a. Joseph Walton &
Co. s and Horner & Roberts bills for the
year were more than this.
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