The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-27
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS.

The southern iron trade is quiet, with
prices unsteady.
Iron and steel are no more active, recent
advances being barely maintained.
Seyenty-nine railroads show gross earn
ings for the first week of February OF
5,Sl3, 4GS, u comparative decrease OF SSSV,-
$40.
The PENNSYLVANIA railroad Will soon con-
meet with the Ohio southern which Is 10
be- extended into Lima, o., and north
ward.
The outlook in the soft coal industry Is
said to be more settled, owing to et-
forts to form u pool. and steadier prices
and wages are expected.
Gross earnings of l3S railroads for the
year 1894 were $50, 7,62S,62S, and net S2dh-
or, S72, u decrease, respectively, OF Ill
and u.5 per cent. from 1898. In 1879 sim
liar comparison showed a decrease OF 10
per cent. in gross and 3.i per cent. in net.
The Pennsylvania Is now preparing
plans for 1000 gondola cars, ana the
awards for building these cars will be
given out before long. They will be as
signed to the lines west of Pittsburg. The
report that the Pennsylvania has con-
tracted for 1000 cars to be built at the
Ohio Fall Car works is untrue
Philadelphia, Feb. 26. - The annual
meeting of the stockholders of the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation company was held at
the company's office in this city today.
The present management was reelected
without opposition The election for a
board of managers resulted: Calvin Par
dee, president; Joseph s. Harris, Edward
W. Clark, Francis X. Cope, Charles Par
rish, James NJ. Wilcox, Edward Lewis.
Samuel Dickson, Abram S. Hewitt,
Thomas Mexican, Charlemagne Tower,
jr., and Edward S. Buckley.
on Friday last New Jersey Central Sc
curities declined to the lowest price in
seven years. The annual report Is now be-
ing made up and the showing is undoubt-
edly bad one Ii is understood the De-
cember business showed a decrease Of
some $4,000 in net earnings as compared
with the preceding year, but the figures
will not be disclosed until the annual re-
port is issued. Upon the basis of the re-
ports already made public the company
earned over per cent. for its stockhold-
ers in 1894 What the report may show is
another matter. 1t is possible the COM
pany may claim that Si2S,00O interest has
been paid 1t by the Lehigh and Wilkes
Barre Coal company and may make
charge of advances TO other companies
to balance the account.
PHILADELPHIA Record: AS the pooling
bill has been indefinitely killed for year
it follows that the coal companies need
not postpone their allotments and pro-
posed agreements any longer. The only
difference is that instead of binding,
penalty-inficting combination that would
have been adjusted to the terms of any
pooling bill that might have been adopted,
there will be n sort of "gentleman's agree
lad l.Nr nrt Af
derstanding concerning the percentage to
be allotted to each company. There has
been considerable talk of employing one
sales agent for all the anthracite pro-
ducers who should issue orders therefor
in accordance with prearranged propor-
tions and IL Is possible, in the absence of
the pooling bill, that such plan may find
favor.
The experiment to be made by the Penn
sylvania railroad upon one of its branch
lines of running trains by electricity may
not have In view the further equipment Of
that road with electric power in place Of
steam but the test soon to be made by
the New York and New Haven road on
a branch near Boston, has ahead OF 1t the
possible equipment Of all the branch
lines with electric service, and If this
proves satisfactory, the substitution Of
electricity for steam partly or entirely
upon the main line of that road The
fact that the New Haven company has
created an electric service, and has called
to It's head one OF the ablest of the man
ayers OF electric railroads in this country
Is a. sufficient proof of the earnestness OF
the corporation in this matter. one of its
branch lines, that by which through pas
sengers from Philadelphia and Washing
ton are carried to the main line without
transfer through New York city, was
equipped some time ago with light cars,
and that was done In the view OF the pos
sible use of electricity. Some of the of
ficers of the company have had an impress
sion changed to conviction recently. so
that they now firmly believe that within
the next five years we shall see many of
the railroads Of this country either adopt
ing electricity or prepa ring to do so