The Red Cloud chief., 1892-10-07
THE COAL COMBINE.
Chicag GO and New York Taisc Preliminary
steps to Brcas the Pennsylvauia Coal
uevA

Chicag go and New York Take Preliminary
steps to Brcax the Pennsylvania Coal
Trust.
CHICAGO, Sept. Estates Attorney
Longeneckcr took the first legal steps
yesterday toward the breaking up of
the coal trust. An information was
filed In the circuit court to restrain the
Philadelphia & Reading Coal aud Iron
company and j. w. Steele, its agent in
Chicago, from selling anthracite coal in
the county of Cook, H., on the ground
of unlawful combination.
The petition, which Is fled in the
name OF the people Of the state Of
Illinois, sets forth that In February,
1892, in the state of New Jersey, the
Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron
Co. was Incorporated and ever since has
been doing business in New Jersey
and elsewhere. At that time the cor
poration is said to have entered into
u trust and combination with the Phila.
delphin & Reading Railroad Co.. the
Port Reading Railroad Co., the Central
Railroad Co. of New Jersey AMI the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Co. all incor-
porated to regulate and fix the price Of
u commodity called anthracite coal,
and to fix the quantity to be mined and
sold.
The Reading company and the other
corporations, IL is said, are about to un-
lawfully fix, regulate and advance the
price Of coal regardless Of the demand
or amount to be purchased or consumed
In violation OF the state laws and to the
damage of the people of the county OF
Cook of over 81, 900, 600. Under these
circumstances the court is asked to
compel the Reading company to answer
whether IL has entered into the combs
nation and If not to set forth the agree.
ment or arrangement it has made with
the other corporations.
The court is asked to grant an in.
junction prohibiting the company from
doing business in the county of Cook.
state Of Illinois. No further steps than
filing the petition were taken and
an injunction has not been granted.
ACTIoN IN NEW YORK.
New YORK, Sept. 2s.-The state sen.
ntc committee instructed to investigate
what Is known rs the Reading coal
combine met yesterday. The members
present were Senators Saxton and Err
win. The latter acted us chairman.
The session was spent in listening to
the recommendations of the counsel to
the committee, ID. $. Griffin and Thomas
Jackson, which were read by Mr.. Crit
fin.
The testimony, he said, show ed that
the Philadelphia & Reading company
and tour other companies controlled
thu Ssrhnln NJ thu n,,N, - ar ,A
coal and had raised its price without re-
gard to the cost of production. In New
York state this was done through rail.
roads operated here under charters
granted by the state. Several Of
these railroads We're united un-
der a corporation known as the
Lehigh Valley Railway Co., leased
to the Lehigh Valley Rail.
road Co. and released to the Pcnnsyl-
vania & Reading CO., q Pennsylvania
corporation. Other railroads in this
state known as the New York division
OF the Delaware, Lackawanna & Vest
ern railroad were under control of q
foreign corporation. 1t was against
the laws of the state for any stock COR
poration TO combine with another stock
corporation to prevent competition in
the production and sale Of the neces-
saries of life.
1t was against the laws of hat state
for the railroads to combine to control
price of Goa. They had no right to do
this under which they were built, and
the corporation hat leased them could
not acquire such right There were
two remedies of which the people might
avail themselves. One was to dissolve
the companies that had so leased their
roads, the other was to annul the
leases.
The committee resolved to adopt the
recommendation OF it's counsel as it's
opinion, and to refer it to the attorney.
general, together with a copy of the
testimony taken and to ask him to take
such legal steps 40 he may deem advisa-
BILE. The committee then adjourned.