The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-30
The Railroad CompanY's
Attorneys Answer Mr..
StoCkton's Charges.
MANY ALLEGATIONS DENIED
No Violation Of tho Law and No
Combination TO Raise the
Price OF Coal, MIR.
Mcleod Says.
,Snscial to the JERSEY Ctr Nelps.

SpeClut 10 ~ OtIStU CttJ ANeuOS.
June 30. 1S92.-Answer was
made Yesterday afte noon by the Central
RaiIrord Company Of New Jersey. to the
iu.o rmation of the Attorney General in
t .e case between the State and the coal
combine
The first allegation made by The co NJ
p,nv i, that it is IL corpora ion organized
aud existing under the several acts of the
Lsgtaia ure and that it is poss essed of all
the power aud authority conferred utoa
it as II railroad corpo a'ion either by
v ne OF tie 81 ecial acts and the general
r&llrOau act. 1t admits al the allegations
cmtained in The clauses of the intorma-
no from one to niue respecting the en-
&C lnent of Tie ratlload acts and us right
Tor the constr uctl0n and operation OF the
road.
1t denies, however, that it has not been
authorized a "a empowered ana could not
law u!iy Use lis corporate franchise.
pow er and privileges 10 any other pur-
IL Sc or busius S. than those of carrying
pass G lgels ana Transporting ire Eht, nor
is Ii PIC ibjttd from CARRYING on any
other buSutsl Whatever than the trans
LurtailoH OF p sseDg. rs aud freight, or
That il had no power whatever Of alieUat-
in any OF its corporate property RAILROAD
tlansllIses, powers or privileges.
COPE OF THE COMPANY ENLARGED.
On ne contrary, II alleges tlat since it's
original or anization the purpose and
scope of its existence has been
repeatedly enlarged BOTH by special
Il general laws, and that
by virtue of the power given to
it bY supplement of March II, 1854. 1t has
power 10 purt base, lease or opera,e any
roAd witch may intersect its road and to
co i>ulidate the SIT OK of such company
WIN 1Ia T. ~ the tprips IN 10 TIuIJ1u1iy
agIe d upon and the railroad purchased
o: consolidated should be and become Il
pafl of its road and governed by The pro-
Ql.ious or The charter OF The Central Rail
lIai.
L. VI q authorized to purchase, lease or
operate any raj Rad which may connect
with or lnterstc c. its road. TO make Il
through line over which traffic could be
exchanged betwt Ell points i'll New Jersey
and uoints on or reached by way of its
l;i,rJads'in other states, and particularly
tl,at 1t should become Il through llue for
The transportation of coal between The
coal field, of Pennsylvania aud the har-
Dor of New York.
FULFILLED ITS DUTY
1t is alleged thai unless 1t had increased
the transportation facili ips afforded by
it t. lie pe, PIE of New Jersey, by pur-
clasl aid leasing other railroads ana
ny fnthi-hipg railroad connections t. ad-
te3t states. ard particularly by pro-
v.uu g means for TRANSFORMATION of coal
from - e coal regions, it would not have
f LII I'd It's entire duly to the State aud
w uId not have accomplished the en-
Ial ged purposes OF the organic zion.
1t admits the contract with the Lehlgh
Coal & Navigation Company, but denies
thHt ruch was without authority. The Lee
iga Coal & Navigation Cont ANY was u
rulroid connects & with It's road, mich
had authority to purchase and lease, anu
If. ri ,IT hutp nRypr heen OueSllHnpu Tor
1wepty-one years. 1t a Uni S the i1iega-
.tioA in Clause 10 that it purchased GER
tain rolling stock, equipments, !ocomo-
tivrs, engines aud other stock from the
Iehigh, by the assumption IT bonds of Il
bar value OF S2.3l0.000, but denies that
such purchase was unauthorized by its
charter.
1t denies the allegations respecting the
purchase or ownership OF coal lands or It's
organization of any coal company. 1t De-
cnine the owner OF STOCK or the Lehlgh q
Wikesbarre Goa Company to secure Tor
its own use Il permanent supply OF coal.
II insists tina the Port Readiag Railroad
Company j. a railroad corporation organ
lied under the laws of the State. The leaSe
tothe Port Reading is admitted.
CANNOT FIX COAL PRICES.
Denial is made that the read has
stripped itself OF all the franchises, row
ers and privileges given by the State;
mat as long as The Port Reading is OPP
Grated, the people of New jersey will
have better railroad facilities. it alleges
The lease to the Port Reading Rail Dad
vwus acknowledged as conveyance of land
and recorded IN the office of the Secretary
of State within thirty days. 10 tue
charges that the trlpartite agreement pre-
vented competition ana increased the
pIice of coal, 1T states that none OF the de-
fepdauts own auy coal land, or mine, or
sell any coal, and that they cannot, acting
either separately or CONFORMITY, Fix or in
crease the price of coal. The only par
ticular in which corporate action has af-
fected or can affect the price OF coal is in
the oils which Us common carriers they
may charge for transporting coal. 1t in
sjsts IN the legal right OF corporations to
fix on Coal as they may deem expe-
dies.s or the interest of their stockhoid-
: fifteen tlaces in New Jersey
fQped III the atiidavits served on the
etiOn. in which 1T is stated that
YereTas been a rise in the wholesale
prices of coal by reason OF the lease, only
one, Plainfield Is supplied with anthr.-
cit coal solelv' over other railroads. All
the others to which they transport coal
IRE. or eau be, supplied over other rail-
I ais transporting coal in competition
Wit them. These are JERSEY City. 1ren-
tou, Red Bank, Perth Amboy anu Eliza
betn.
Out of the fifteen points there are eight
which are not supplied with coal by the
defendants, Washington. Moaristown, r.
H. o. ange, New Brunswick, Paterson,
.Hackeusack. Passaic and HoboEen. 1t
would be impos IDLE fer the defendants
to put an end to competition because of
coal shipped over other roads There has
heen no rise on the average in the retail
price tn consumers. On important points
on The Central Railroad it is no higher
now than it his been during The past six
years. The same can be said of the whole
sale price.
The defendants deny ali manner of
nnl4wful combination and COME ieracy
wberewith it is, by information charged.
MR.. M'LEoD'S AFFIDAVIT.
The Port Reading Railroad ColoDany