Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-11-29
THE COAL ooMrINE.


The Congressional investigating Com
mittee Taking Evidence in New York
New YORK, November 2s.-Investi-
CATION by the subcommittee OF the In
ter-State Commerce Commission, COM
posed of congressman Combs, Wise,
Storer. Patterson and Land, was re-
sumed to-day in the federal building,
Mr.. Patterson presiding. Lawyer Chas.
+. Leach, representing the Congresslon-
al Committee, conducted the eXamina-
tion of witnesses.
President R. NJ. Oliphant, Of the Del
aware and Hudson Coal Company, was
called to the witness stand. His COM
pany, he said, mined and carried an
thracite coal. Last year they mined
little over 4, ZOO, 600 tons. About $780,
600 tons were sent west, the balance
coming east. Thos. +. Torrey repre-
sents the company at tidewater meet
ings. There was generally an advance
i'm prices between January and October
Mr.. Oliphant said his company had
nothing TO do with the combination In
any way. II anything they were op-
posed to the coal combine, but he ad-
mitted that the prices OF the Delaware
and Hudson Canal Company conform
ed pretty nearly to those OF other com
panies. MIR. Oliphant did not see why
be should be called upon to submit TO
the committee a statement showing the
prices Of his company monthly for the
year 1892. In fact, Mr.. OliphGnt re-
fused to state what advances in prices
has been made by his company. lie
did not think the resolution under
which the committee was acting called
for information from his company, the
latter not being in the combine. The
three members Of the committee,
MeSsrs. Patterson, Wise and Storer,
who were present at the session this
morning, where the opinion that Mr..
Oliphant should answer such questions,
but the latter got out Of it by saying
that Mr.. Terry could best give such
information, and that he might be in
town tomorrow. The retail coal COM
panys business, Mr.. Oliphant said, was
about as poor business as any man
could be at present engaged in.
The next witness was Smith d. Acker,
retail coal dealer under the firm name
of Mackey, Young & co, Some months
this year they paid the Pennsylvania
Company one dollar per ton in advance
OF the price they paid in 1891. In Octo-
Der they paid some times % cents ad-
vance on the price per ton in 1891. He
said he would furnish the committee
with statement showing the prices OF
1892 as compared with those of 1891.
Retail coal dealers, witness said, were
not making as much money this year as
they made in 1891. VIM. E. Street,
Secretary of the Pennsylvania Coal
Company, testified that he attended the
tide-water meetings and also the West
ern meetings. Such meetings, he said,
were altogether informal. There were
no organizations.
Secretary Street denied that there
was any formal agreement entered into
at the Tidewater meetings. II was the
natural outcome of circumstances that
the output during the winter months
was less than during the summer
months. This was due TO the weather
and other causes.
On some sizes of anthracite coal there
had been an advance from so to 60
NGaIs A4lo lthA bhGA LllN ~ 4NO' AAob } NAlA
1s9D by the Pennsylvania Coal Com
pany. This advance was ocCasioned by
the near approach Of the demand to the
output Of the mues.
Witness admitted that the producers
Of anthracite coal sold their product as
a uniform price for the same quality of
coal 1t was also true, he said, that
prices were fixed by the executive Off
GERS of the various companies upon the
reports of their respective representa-
tives at the Tidewater and Western
meetings. 1t was true that at these
meetings it was generally agreed upon
as TO what the output and prices would
be for given months. There was neither
formal action nor contract. Circular
prices were fixed, but not always ad-
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