The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-20
MINE, MILL AND RAILROAD.

Ex-United States Senator Henry G.
DAVIS, president of the West Virginia
Central railroad, has sent out an inter-
esting statement relating to the duty on
coal Senator Davis says: 'Mr. Will
son states that the cost of coal in his
district is from 40 to go cents a ton, and
argues from this that the duty of rs
cents is excessive The amount per ton
which he gives covers merely the cost
of the wages Of the miners He takes
no account of the cost of transferring to
the railway cars, timbering the mines,
maintaining the machinery and the
numerous items of expense incidental
TO mining plant, besides which there
Is a royalty and interest on the capital
invested. But even If Mr.. Wilson had
brought these items into his cost of pro-
duction 1t would be manifestly unjust
TO stop at this stage Of Goals progress
TO point where 1t would be made as
full. Surely it is not at the mouth of
the mine where American coal has to
compete with foreign coal, but at the
seaboard and at places of consumption.
That which was worth but little in the
ground and of small value at the
mouth Of the mine has been greatly en-
hanced by the labor of transportation
when 1t has gone hundreds of miles by
land and water to point where 1t must
come into competition with the Goals OF
other countries Nova Scotia for in
stance. If the value of the coal ought
TO be estimated at the mine in finding
the ad valorem duty, then the whole
basis Of the valuation of the dutiable
list as prepared by the government is
wrong.
Mr.. Wilson Is also quoted as saying
that the duty on coal Is in the nature
of Il subsidy to the railroads. Such a
statement is unjust and reflects injur-
iously upon an interest absolutely es-
sential to the development Of his state
and country. The average haul to tide
water from the coal fields of West Vir-
ginia, Maryland and Virginia is about
$50 miles, while the average freight IS
mills per ton per mile, which leaves
little or no margin over cost. 1t Is only
necessary. to call the peoples attention
to the fact that one-fourth of the rail-
roads of the country are in the hands Of
receivers. while from not one-half of
these said railroads are the stockhold-
ers receiving any returns from the
many millions they have invested in
railways The Democrats announce
themselves for tariff for revenue; then
why not make coal a part of it? Coal
should not be classed as raw material
In the mines it has very little value,
from cents to 30 cents ton-de'
pending upon its quality and locality
At Boston, which is central point of
New England for the delivery of coal
from Virginia, West Virginia, Mary
land and Pennsylvania, it is worth
$3.50 per ton, which shows fully % per
cent Of its value when 1t reaches the
consumer is the labor of production
and transportation. 1t is entirely con-
sumed in using, while other articles,
called by some as raw material, upon
arriving at the factory are often in the
first state of manufacture; one is de"
stroyed, while the other Is being put in
permanent form of usefulness. There
is no demand from our people for free
coal, and no person or corporation or
interest has asked It,"
Unless the anthracite coal producing
companies make more radical reduc-
tion in the output the remainder of the
month, the October allotment as de-
cided upon, which was for 100000 tons,
will, in the opinion of the Stakeholder,
be largely exceeded. For the week
ended Oct. 6 shipments amounted to
754,70 tons, while the statement of
shipments for the second week ended
Oct. 13, which has just been issued, eX-
ceeded those figures the total being
S06, 1S1 tons. For two weeks, then. the
shipments aggregate 1s560,SS8 tons, or
an average for the thirteen days of 12O,
Q53 tons per day. At this rate the ship
ments for the month would reach a
total of 3,72l,64S tons, or 721,649 tons
more than the allotment. Had the cool
4, 81 80 ttNNNN NN1 ts
probable this excess would have
made no material difference to the
trade, but pleasanter and milder
weather has again checked the con-
sumptive demand. Comparing the two
statements, we find that in the Wyo-
ming region only We're the shipments
less in the second week than in the first
the figures being 423,74S for the first
week and 4OS,02l for the second week,
while the shipments from the Lehigh
region increased from 124,951 tons to
1877 344 tons, and from the Schuylkill
region from 2OS,60S tons to 265,S16 tons,
thus making the second weeks increase
over the first week 51,474 tons. Com
pared with the corresponding week last
year however, there is a decrease of
07,S16 tons, making the decrease for
the year to date 2,03S,1 ,164 tons
MINOR INDUSTRIAL NOTES:
The sale of the Pennsylvania Pough-
keepsie and Boston railroad was ad
journed again yesterday for week.
The Reading company's shops in
Reading will be enlarged this fall by
the erection of several extensive build
ings.
The Pullman company has declared
fbp rau1I1or dividend of 50 nor cbara
payable Nov Is, to stockholders of rec
ord Nov |.
The Philadelphia, Reading and New
England part Of Poughkeepsie bridge
SYSTEM shows gross earnings for the
month Of August Of $65, 1S9; net. 1867;
surplus over expenses and fixed
charges, S132lS
The Reading company contemplates