Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-05
There Must Be Change in Freight
Rates of the Railways, or
OUR COAL WILL BE FORCED OUT.
Operators and Transportation Managers
Have q Ci Insulation.
COLONEL REND UPON THE SITUATION

| operators and the new West Virginia field
against the Pittsburg people. In short, the
Pittsburg coal men claim that they cant
compete with the Hooking Valley operators,
who are favored with lower rates, cheaper
lands and wages. All the roads leading to
the lakes from the coal fields were repre-.
sented as follows:
Pennsylvania Company. First Vice Presi.
| William Stewart; Lake Shore and Lake Erie
roads, President Newell, j. T. R. Mckay,
| Frank Dean and H. ]. Lawrence; Nypano,
| Traffic Manager George Cochran and Gen.
eral Freight Agent S. P. Shane; Baltimore
and Ohio, General Freight Agent C. s.
| Wright and E. F. .Affleck; Cleveland and
| Canton, j. W. Wardwell and II.
R. Moore; Hooking Valley, Presi-
dent C. C. Waite and W. A. Mills;
| Toledo and Ohio Central, j. NJ. Ferris. who
presided at the meeting, and MI. Fitch;
| Columbus, Shawnee and Hooking, Messrs.
| Pickard and Daniel; Wheeling and Lake
| Erie, Messrs. Blair, Coolidge and Terry;
| Cleveland, Lorraine and Wheeling. Oscar and
j. F. Townsend; Valley road, J. B. Caven;
Pittsburg and Western, G. S. Wright. A. d.
| Smith, of Columbus, formerly general pas
| senger agent of the Lake Erie. is secretary
of the association and was present.
Discrimination Against Pittsburg.
The present coal rates to the lakes are, 80
cents per ton from Pittsburg and IS cents
from the Hooking Valley. The differential
of cents is allowed the Hooking Valley
people because their coal is inferior to the
local article and worth in the markets fully
25 cents per ton less. The railroads have
had rate agreement for the last two years,
but the operators have been going it alone.
Each one has been trying to get what he
can for his product, and this has made the
rate question difficult for the railroads.
Operators have demanded lower rates on the
ground that competitors were more favorably
situated. To avoid this constant pickering
the railway managers have asked the opera
tors to agree on a selling price, and make
this the basis for rates They think if this
can be done that the lake lines will soon
come to fair conclusion for all concerned.
The operators will meet here on the 14th to
consider this proposition, and they will
probably confer with the freight agents at
the Monongahela House the next day.
The Views of Colonel Rend.
Colonel w. P. Rend, who is a repre-
tentative Pittsburg coal operator, ex-
planned the position of the local people
yesterday. He said:
1--WE thing that the rate of 80 cents is
reasonable enough, and we are not asking
for reduction. What we want is that the
West Virginia and Hooking Valley oper-
ators should pay rate in proportion to
what we do. There is the Fairmount field,
which was developed last year. The rate
from West Virginia to the lakes is 10 cents
more than ours. In Fairmount the coal is
higher and easily mined, They employ the
-, &hovr ho1r &hn k1ok
we pay. Labor is not organized there. The
result is that they land their coal 40 to 90
cents per ton cheaper on board the vessels
than we do, and the Hooking Valley people
can beat us from 15 to 20 cents per ton. In
addition the rate for transferring coal at
the Toledo, Sandusky and Lorraine harbors
is lower than the price at Cleveland. 1t is
15 cents at Sandusky and Toledo and from
II to 20 cents at Cleveland.
Combine Mining and Railroading.
'Tn the Hooking Valley such roads as the
Wheeling and Lake Erie and the Cleveland,
Lorraine & Wheeling own their coal lands
and mine the coal in connection with the
road. The coal business is side issue with
them, and is made subordinate to the rail-
road. They will sell coal at cost, and make
up the difference in transportation ON
their lines. This last year before the
Pittsburg operators knew what was going
on, the West Virginia operators and these
900, 900 tons of coal on the lakes They
shipped some of it to the head of Lake Su-
perior. We had to take what was left.
''While our coal is far superior, we could
not overcome the difference OF 30 cents per
ton in price, You know our markets have
been limited in the last few years. Chicago
is now supplied with coal from Indiana and
Illinois. / used to ship from so to 70 cars
per day to that city, but 1 don't sell
one-fourth OF that amount there
these days The only markets left
are along the lakes, but what
can we do in the face of this Ohio and
West Virginia competition. We are not
kicking on the go cents, but we look to the
railroads to push up the rates from these
two sections to what they ought to be"
"Have the Pittsburg operators suggested
what would be fair railroad rate from
West Virginia and the Hooking Valley?"
was asked.
The Task Difficult One.
eNo, we have not, and do not intend to.
That is for the freight men to determine.
realize it is difficult task on account Of
the different conditions and conflicting in
terests involved. I feel sure that all con-
cerned will reach an amicable arrangement.
There ought to be some agreement between
the operators about the selling price of
coal. but don't know what will be done
when we meet
''The question resolves itself to this,
either the Pittsburg roads must get the |
Ohio and West Virginia lines to advance
their rates, or the cost of transportation |
must be reduced from this territory. This |
makes the situation serious, and the entire |
community is interested. Our markets are |
Duluth, West Superior and other points |
along the chain of lakes outside of the local |
trade. This question concerns railr Dads |
and miners as much as it does the operators. |
The mining industry in this section is threat
sned unless something is DONE I
A. D. Smith, the Secretary of the Ohio |
stands up for the Buckeye |
operators. He remarked that every opera !
tor would like to have rate about 25 per
cent lower than his competitors. He hopes
that uniform selling price will be made.
The price of coal free on board the vessels |
last year ranged from 81 10 to 81 20 per ton
for the best. The Hooking Valley road
used to be disturbing element until the
agreement was formed between the railroads
two years ago. Since then rates have been
steadily maintained.