New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-15
con- TOO COSTLY.

The selling agents of the great anthracite
coal COMPANIES will hold meeting in this clty
soon 1t is generally known that the coal trade
IL in q very unsatisfactory cOnditlon-unSats-
factory To the mincowncr. to the coalcarrl'r
and to the consumer The price of anihraci'e
coal the rates for transporting it, ana the
prodts of the retail dealers have been MAIN
tanned at such figures as to diminish the de-
mond and TO cut down sales 10 Il serious OK
tent Everybody who can economic on antliii-
cite coal is sure to do SO ut present prices Ill
these bitter times while millions of p"opi" III
all parts of the country have been reduced |"
so narrow means on account of Democratic
blindness and madness at Washington that they
cannot pay for coal enough for cooking ana
heating purposes while present prices are kept
ND II the owners of coal desire to Stimulate
sales and to increase consumption they must
make extensive concessions.
The rates which have been cxactcd for coal
both at wholesale and at retail. FOR many
months have been wholly ont of proportion 10
the sums demanded for other things which the
people must have in order 10 escape suffering
II is a matter of general knowledge that the
cost Of food and clothing has fallen off greatly
Why should not coal go down also! Coal prices
have not been kept up for the purpose OF paying
high wages to the miners. The laborcrs i'll the
mines have been almost at starvation wages
for Il long time High prices for coal are not
allowed by the minc-owncrs and operators 10
benefit the miners. These owners and operators
have crowded the coal fields of pennsylvania
with the worst riffraf and refuse of Europe III
order that they may get their coal mined at
the lowest possible cost They have cut down
thcir outlay on wages while they have Kept
I'D excessive prices for coal, and in this way
have piled up cXtravagant profits on actual
legitimate investments in coal properties. Al
the sam" time they have limited the production
SO severely in order To prevent the brcaKlhG
of prices that the wrctchcd novels Of the Penn
sylvania miners are filled with misery because
the laborcrs cannot get work enough even at
the most mcagrc pay for mining coal.
The retail coaltcalcrS in Ncw-Iork ana
other great cities have been unreasonable as
well as The great coal companies. They have
insisted upon immolcratc profits. and many or
them cheat their customers by giving short
weight II was very significant step-thc re-
cent abolition OF the inspectorship system by
the Retail Coal Dealers Exchange. Under that
system the CONSUMERS were properly protected
II the inspectors did their duty. Now they are
at the mercy Of INSCRIPTIONS dealers. Inc
records Of the mercantile agencies and OF the
courts prove that failures among retail coal
dealers are extremely rare even in these nara
times OF course many dealers give full weight
and do not try To cheat. But nearly all of them
charge their customers excessive prices and are
making excessive percentages of profit on their
sales percentages far above those made by
dealers in drygoods. clothing. boots and shoes,
groceries and other things.
There ought 10 be- Il big break in coal prices.
both wholesale and retail Immediately The
great coal companies have been pursuing IN
unpopular and injudicious policy in Keeping up
coal prices In the face Of the general privation
AMI suffering and have been running the risk
of stirring up violent cnmiiics and hatrcdS.
They have not been consulting their own best
Interests No corporations and no class of men
can prosper in the long run in this country If !
they provoke public ccnslrc and condemnation
The limit on the production Of coal ought 10 be-
taken of, and 1t ought 10 be- mined and sold
in far greater quantities and AT much lower
rates. These are not times in which any body
Of men ought 10 be- permitted 10 distress the
poor 10y cXtorting cNtravagant prices for coal
The Reading really controls the anthracite coal
market. II can break prices and sell millions
Of tons OF coal in short time But It's re-
ccvcrS have been keeping up prices in an cf
fort 10 cxtricatc the company from the diff
cnltics into which il was plunged by unscrupu
lous railroad wrcckcrs. But is it right that all
the consumers Of anthracite coal should suffer
because certain railroad wrcckcrs ruined |
Reading?
m EENERfT m SUEJRT