The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-11-16
COAL AFFIDAVIYS
The Philadelphia and Read
ing People Swear To
Startling Facts.
ONLY A CENTURY'S SUPPLY
Nevertheless, the Chancellor Says,
They Must Be Ready for Final
Hearing December /.
special to The Lerseu crtu Mems.


formant, and the Central Railroad Com
davits are those of A. A, Mcleod, Presi-
dent of the Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad; c. E. Henderson, General Man
ager of the Philadelphia and Reading
Company, and Charles Hartshorne, Sec
ond Vice President4of the same road.
President McLeod's affidavit begins
with a review of the facts of the institu-
ton of the suits and the manner of SER
vice made on him. and he quotes largely
from the supplemental information
filed by the Attorney General, which
charges that the Philadelphia and
Reading and the Central Railroads DISC
beyed the order of the Court and op-
Grated their roads to diminish competi-
tion in the anthracite coal, and arbitrarily
increased the price to the people of New
jersey, and further that The several ad-
vances made in the price of coal were
made in concert by the said Philadelphia
and Reading, Central aud Lehigh Valley
Railroads, at meetings held in New York
by the representatives Of those roads. and
resolutions were passed for that purpose.
Mr.. Mcleod swears that each and every
one of these statements is. SO far as the
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Com
pany is concerned. absolutely untrue.
HAVE oBEYED H COURT.
The affidavit further states that i'm
mediately upon the service August 81,
the Central Company re-entered on the
possession of all Its property. and that the
Philadelphia and Reading Company have
obeyed the order OF the court,
1t is IL fact that on July l, 1892, the
Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron
Company did advance the price of coal,
a7oA in GnnfnnOhor 1900 made a Grill
further advance without discrimination
between the citizens of New Jersey
aud those Of Pennsylvania. n hat
the Reading Railroad Company mad
nothing to do with the advance because
the Philadelphia n Reading Coal
and Iron Company are absolute owners
of all the coal mined by itself and Lehigh
and W~ilkesbarre Coal Company. He
denies that the advances in coal made by
the Philadelphia Coal and Iron Com
pany have been an arbitrary increase to
the citizens of New Jersey. He does
admit that the Philadelphia and Read
ing Railroad Company of its own motion
without concert or combination, did
make a certain advance ln the coal tariff
rates from collieries in Pennsylvania over
it's own and its leased lines and connect
ing roads at Port Reading, Perth Amboy.
jersey City and Port Liberty, because it
had the right to do 1t.
I'D No 6CAHGlI1 OF COA1.
General Manager Henderson in his affi-
dfvit denies that there has been any scar-
city, either artificial or otherwise, of coal
by limitation or diminution of supply
mined or transported to market during
August and September, 1892. He then
| gives q tabular statement which shows
the output for August and September,
both 1891 and 1892. and the output for
| this year was much in excess. The in
crease in August was 45 per cent. and in
September 46 per cent. He likewise de-
| MES that the increase of price was the re-
suit of an agreement or combination.
Charles Hartshorn, iii his affidavit,
most respectfully but unquallt1edly
| denies that the Philadelphia and Read
ing Railroad Company has in any matter
or thing ~disobeyed the order of the Court,
| and the increase that was made in the
price of coal was not made without justi-
f~ication founded upon the cost of produc-
ing the same, but. on the contrary, the
price at which the same is now sold is
| not ever now, in the belief of this de-
ponent, compensatory to the producers.
FIGHTING FOR DELAY.
The Chancellor held court here yester-
| day and the counsel for the Philadelphia
| and Reading opposed Attorney General
Stockton in his prosecution of the coal
combine cases. The Attorney General
| asked that q day be set for the argument
| VI UuO EAPpLCAACACR1 AhAOL hlL1
for a receiver for the Central Railroad
because it had violated the restraining
order of the Chancellor.
Thomas N. McCarter, for the Philadel-
phia and Reading Railroad. stated that
ne had been busy preparing the answers
to the supplemental Information, and had
been unable to prepare those for the Eas-
ton and Amboy suit. He therefore asked
| for an extension oftime. Judge Stevens,
who is associated with the Attorney-Gen-
| eral, aid that if additional time was to
be given, the State would ask that they
be allowed to file additional affidavits in
answer to those just filed by the railroads.
The latter, he held, were evastve, and the
State wanted the right to cross-examine
the with esses who were to furnish affida-
Wits for the railroads. Chancellor McGilI
extended the time until Nov. 25. but LEFT
the matter of cross examining witnesses
until late in the afternoon, when there
was a somewhat spirited debate between
counsel over the matter.
DAY FoR FINAL HEARING.
Chancellor McGill fixed December l
as the final day for the argument of the
cases, and in the matter of the State
| cross.eXamining witnesses he will decide
on Friday. The affidavit of Charles Par
IRISH. President of the Parrish and Annara
| Coal Companies of Wilkesbarre, was filed
on behalf of the Central Railroad by Mr..
McCarter.
In his affidavit, Mr.. Parish says that
| the low prices for coal which nave pre-
vailed for the past two years has been
| most disastrous to the interests OF the
public in two ways. First it has lea to
great extravaganza in the use of coal But
a very small percentage of coal is realized
by the most improved combustion,
while on the other hand, the methods Of
mining has been wastefnl to the last de-
gree. Nearly if not quite over half the
| coal is left in the ground, and of that
which is raised to the surface only about
| sixty per cent. has been sent to market.
WASTE MAKES COAL HIGHER.
He says further that it must be remem-
bered that the necessary result of such
| improyidence must be to hasten the time
when the conditions of mining will COM
pel a very great advance in the cost aud
| price of coal The entire anthra-
| cite field of Pennsylvania contains
onlv about $50 square mites, or
about 800, coo acres within the outcrops.
Much of the coal included in this area is
faulty and disturbed, and consists of
single or few thin veins, SO that if the
total area was equal in character and
value to the coal lands of the Lehigh and
Wilkeshatre Coal Company, it is probable
that the entire field would not ex-
coed 300 square miles, or an area
which would be included in a %rectangle
of twenty miles long by fifteen miles
wide. This entire field at the present
rate of consumption, would not last more
than $50 years, aud probably not more
that Il century.
HOW PRODUCTION is REGULATED.
W. -. n 49,, -f rrndyafi4r ,,1 ~