The evening world., 1894-04-13
INCREASE OF Sales.
People Taking Advantage of 1.-THE
Worlds" Cheap Coal Offer.
Enormous Profits Of Some Of the
Companies In the Combine.
T~wo-thirds OF Lackawanna's Stock
Issued as Dividends.

'"The Worlds" plan of fighting the
coal ~conspirators on their own ground
lie succeeding f,mously, and Is winning
additional support every day.
The grand total of the sales Of coal
through 1.-The World'' offices in this city
and Brooklyn for the first three days
that this arrangement has been In op-
Grafton IS 473 tons.
Or this amount 81 tons were sold on
Tuesday, 15o tons on Wednesday and
$50 tons yesterday. 1t is probable, judy
ing from the early outlook. that to-
days sales will fot up considerably
more than 800 tons.
This Is a most encouraging showing,
and proves that 1.-The Worlds readers
are beginning fully to appreciate the
ADVANTAGES which are offered to con-
sumers of coal, and at the same time
putting 1t in their power to strike a blow
at the triple alliance of the coal barons
against the public.
In order to show to what extent the
people of New York City are interested
in this fight against the combine. 1t
may be stated that the amount of hard
coal used in this city a year per capita
LIS thu e tons.
According to this estimate. and taking
into consideration the fact that the re-
tail price of coal is about 81 a ton above
the wholesale rate. when delivered at
tide water. 1t will be seen that every
man. woman and child in the city is
taxed at the rate Of So a year to sup
port the coal monopoly.
Probably very few people realize that
they have been subjected to this extor-
ton, but the figures which have been
given, based upon careful estimates and
calcnla lions. nrnva that the coal barOna
have been squeezing this tribute from
the people year after year..
From tables which have been prepared,
showing how the anthracite coal bust
ness has been divide between the coal
carrying roads every year, 1t may be
seen that the Philadelphia and Reading
pay for the marketing of the coal of
other companies. In other words. It has
been used as a cat's-paw by those inside
the combine to starve the market and
keep up the price of coal.
Out. Of the 25l. $50 acres of anthracite
coal land owned by the leading COM
Yet last year, out of the 100000 or
more gross tom marketed. this com
pany was allowed to furnish only $685.
" as 'ohS' tR Rr 'f feh ieh" T9 e Rey ' snd Laeka-
wanna Companies, with less than S. 900
acres each, furnished nearly as much
per cent. Of ali the available anthracite
coal land Is now owned or controlled by
the carrying companies, thus enabling
tn them IN II to ,d ahs nnd Ely. 6 control the in. OUTPUT oh t
sale market.
BY the laws of Pennsylvania all these
coal Lam acquirements by the railway
escheat to the State, II the proper legal
proceedings are instituted In the courts
of Pennsylvania.
Yet with the knowledge of this law the
companies have gone right on acquiring
these lands with lmpunity. They bel!eve
themselves so strong that they can defy
the courts Of that State. A glance at the
earnings of some of these companies and
the value of their watered shares in the
stock market is a sufficiently clear Index
TO the enormous profits they have been
enabled to make by means of the sys-
TEN OF extortion they have practised.
Take the Delaware and Hudson Canal
Company. for instance, and II "a seen that
since 1889 the net earnings have been as
high as 1876 per cent. in some years, and
never lower than 7.s4 per cent, the aver
psny now has a surplus Of 100000 Yet
It's mines are working half time, and
of coal ore paying 81 a ton
above wholesale prices. The company Is
,ween the mines and tide water. ms IS
an interesting condition of affalrs when
Is called to the attention or the consumer,
BY reason Of the absolute control Of the
market the combine has restricted the
production of anthracite coal for the
three months Of 1894 more O than 2,$oO;yoO
reduction in April to a production of
2,25O,OOO tons Is the smallest for April In
any previous year since 1885.
The result of this is shown In the ad-
vance in price Of anthracite for all grades
and the corresponding decline in its use
for domestic purposes. This is a fact
which has. been brought out very re-
Gently, and goes to confirm. the state
ments which have been made by The
World" from time o time that the
coal combine is systematically starving
the market In order 70 keep up prices
and increase profits.
The last price OF Lackawanna, stock
was l61. Although this Company Is cap
italized at $50, 900. 900, two-thirds OF this
amount was issued as stock dividends,
and represents an original capitalization
Of 80. OOO,O 900. Jersey Central Is quoted at
112 on an enormously watered capital.
and Delaware and Hudson at 100.