The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-27
AUTOMATIC ANTHRACITE.
- Goes UP OR Dowr WITHOUT ORDERS
FROM THE COMBINE

....rs Merely Meet and Exchange Views
sTsere 4. No Agreement, No Mandate, but
r.., somehow Responds b, Their Wishes.
NH, McClosky. on behalf OF the Congress- Of
a.. rnit.d states. opened proceedings yester-
A., morning in the Reading com bine invests
esuon Mt the appointed hour. although Chair
nan Coombs was not present Two other
.,.,, hers OF tho Sub.Com mittee on Interstate
Cam merce Mr.. Wise OF Virginia. acting Chair
~ and Mr.. Patterson OF Tennessee. were
~ hand. and before Thorn appeared large
ND substantial body OF corporation lawyers.
w. outnumbered tho committee. Including
saressnt.at. Arms McClosky. three to one. The
ysderal Grand Jury room was as hot and
stutIy as steam and closed doors and win
Snv. could mako It. but the first witness. sec-
~. Lackawanna and Western. was As cool
'rd ooll ected as Mr.. McClosky himself
nh. Witness undor examination by Law
-, Reach. for the committee. told what he
r.,tsd 10 bout that m sterious monthly meet
~. vbleb determines what New York shall
80, Tor its anthracite coal. According to the
r,tn sss the m ceilings are as informal as five
s,,,ock tea; moro SO. because they are not
.,.n held In response to notices or invitation.
p.n,.septatives Of coal-producing corpora
,,ons and Individual operators OF coal mines
....,n room ofthe Jersey Central buildingin
Iih.rt, street. There Is no President or
Cb.irman no Secretary. no records. no circu-
i.rs Issued aud no call for subsequent meet
Inc. The persons present state their views.
sbnke hands. and depart. What happened af-
Harvard tho witness could only testify as to
his own experience. He went to his office and
rays Instructions to his assistants which re-
sul.ed IN an increase or decrease OF the out
nut from the mines he controlled. and he also
gave Instructions as to the prices which should
rule until other orders were issued.
Congressman Patterson labored long and
hard with tine witness ut this point to establish
the fact that after these monthly meetings
there was concerted action by all the pro-
ducers both as to production and price.
and that such action was the result OF an
agreement arrived Mt by the meeting. He
failed. The witness admitted that his own
orders were based upon Information obtained
and views expressed ut the meetings. but de-
MED that tho producers were bound by any
mandate Of the meetings. or that anything OF
the nature OF instructions was issued by them.
Mr. Patterson remarked upon the curious
coincidence OF results arrived ut by all the
producers. considering the fact as stated by
the witness. that there was no agreed concert
VI action. Bill McClosky wEo has q veteran
politicians admiration for a cool hand. let his
cigar hreGo out while gazing approvinRly at
: Mr. Holden. continuing. said that the esti-
mated maximum capacity OF the mines ex-
y yesrIy demand. and restriction Of product
was necessary to prevent a Rlut. This restric-
ton was not effected by reducing the number
1se days at ast tss R Nh return.
~ can't say" replied Mr.: Holden. lin
the tonnage We require"
Mr.. Patterson gave 1t up.
70 arrive at the same point He asked:
furnish t6s committee with the total humble
d aaI;t the Delaware and Lackawsnna works
s tsat j f:.;s: Ss:s.sa e. COMMITTEES
you'd 10 &C SRs' Win
would t. an ,nSsstis alton into the com G a
outside the scope OF the committees proper
Beach urged that thu SCOPE r. o, the In
1sh
SsS sncS .sssa ss u
IerS olmstead and Beach. Committeeman
Patterson. and the witness became involved
III. 6imstsad again insinsstsd thsI probably
insinlornstIon which had bssn denied him
Beach. t. whose so entire. Illness he sabseribed
post cheertuly Mr. Beach bowed and with;
sasss aa to Ely Ms sss retired
s al essaea tie 0 to he
Ill., na e1 ts 20 cHeaaoD
considerably less" than half o cent a ton per
NILE This Ersat to ghhieago was
not In the combine but because there were q
great many ears which brought Western prod:
s xviii with sa G e
Bsi8ss the espbns was Effected the Esse to
elusive OF transfer charges.
4, The witness was next as ksd II in his opinion
tno retail coal dealers had made AN excess
r. profits" since tie comeine was effected.
fore the combine tho retail dealers had made
no profit except what they made BY COM
:, TO Mr.. 0lmstsad the witness explained that
fhs maximum productive capacity u tho mine
Is eontemporaneous with the reason Of mini
mum demand. the summer time, and Vice
versa. so that the problem presented to the
gentlemen who conduct this business SO bad
for o af,STt s
age demand there would he times when the
product would not equal the demand. OF course
mere tsssre Is q speculative expectation which mod
At this point Mr.. McClosky began reading n
Horning paper. and Mr.. Patterson was telling
Pr Wise q funny story so the witness. think
Ing possibly that the lawyers had heard the
story before. did not continue
Ihe next witness was Secretary McDonough
81 the New York, Lake Erie and Western
Railroad Company. and also director and sec
rotary Of the Hillside Coal an, Iron Company.
owned by the Erie The railroad Germany.
NJ said. transported and marketed only coal
Edward II; Mend. President OF tho psnnsyl-
.,I
,,What IA the Pennsylvania Coal Company; 2"
sacoai colnrany." answered he witness,
cooking straight a, silly McClosky. Every
one laughed except Mr.. Beach. who said tartly:
IL iennsylVania corporation. engaged
~ the production Of coal. and owning a con-
trolling Interest In the ErIe aud Wyoming
lai!r0ad Company. Is II notI"
The witness said 1t was He added that its
representative ATTENDED tho Western and
Tide Water meetings which fixed the price Of
4, Then Dir. Beach asked the witness to furnish
number Of days work done in The mines
owned by the company The witness appeal
ed TO tho committee to know II he would 10
obligedto comply with that request. Mr. Beach
sald re should Insist. Iis had withdrawn Tho
question question from Mr.. Holden for persona! rea.
iii siSH put would insist upon 1t In the case Of
aitsMrs,co committee retired for consultation. and
agreed unOn n com Ornm G reu uaSt