Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-07
Opinion From Prominent Operator
That Sherman's Proposition to
Remove the Duty Won't
INJURE TRADE In THAT PRODUCT.
Some Inside History of the Causes That
Led to the Sudden Ending of
the Electric Strike.
PROMISES THAT WERE As PIE CRUST.
Odds and Ends Of News in Industrial and
Labor Circles

Following up the inquiry into the proba
BILE effect of Senator Sherman's proposition
to take the duty off American coal if the
Canadians do too an expression of opinion
was obtained yesterday from well-knowr
railroad coal operator. He expressed the
view that the removal of the duty would
materially increase the amount of bitumi.
nous coal sent into the Dominion from
Pennsylvania, to the de.riment OF the an.
thracite article.
'Mr. Sherman" said the gentleman, ''in
proposing to empower the President to re.
move the duty from Canadian coal, if the
Government of the Dominion admits Amer
lean coal free of duty, said that the Nova
Scotlan coal found its .bestfmarket in New
England. He also said that the coal OF
OHIO and Pennsylvania found its largest
export market in Canada, and that in this
condition of affairs it is absurd for either
country to levy a duty on coal carried from
one to another. The Nova Scotian is used in
New England, because it is the cheapest,
though not the best.
HOW THEY SUFFER.
1.-THE New England manufacturers suffer
very much in point of location and every
point they can make in reducing cost of
production is of the greatest consideration.
They may see in free Nova Scotian coal a
measure of reducing cost, and their inf1u-
ence may be back of Sherman's proposition.
Whether the duty is removed from Ameri-
can coal is nothing to them; they use the
other, and want it free.
Pennsylvania bitunlinous operators would
be benefited, rather than the reverse, by
free coal to Canada. They already hold
large contracts there, and the removal of
the as cents duty will place them In better
position still TO compete with the Canadian
product. Their market now stops at Mon
treal, but would be extended, under this
scheme, over a considerably larger area.
The number of tons of coal imported from
Canada last year were 434, 741, while we
sent them !, ,379, 119 tons. If we can furnish
them with so much with IS cents per ron
tax we can do correspondingly bigger
trade with the duty removed
COULD DO THEM UP.
1.-THE operations of the Nova Scotiau mines
are circumscribed in area, and they would
become more so with free American coal,
because, while they would work under the
same condition, we should get the best of
them by the amount of the duty.
'On the other hand, the introduction of
free Canadian coal would hardly interfere
with the business in Pennsylvania bitumin-
Gus, and the balance of business at the end
n. the year would be found to be much in
favor CT the latter. The Canadian
coal would penetrate a little further
into the country, but without any
appreciable injury to home trade. The
only people who would suffer would be the
anthracite men, whose condition would re-
main unaltered, since this coal is not now
taxed. They %ould have both the
Canadians and the Pennsylvanians COM
petiug with them o3 better terms. The
Ohio men would also extend their field of
operations, and their Senator may not have
been without a thought for Them in his
proposition. On the whole, think the
scheme would benefit the bitumincus coal
trade OF the country