The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-30
State OF THE COAL TRADE
Meeting of Sales Agents Today Ex-
pceted to Bring Relief.
PROPOSITION OF OPERATORS
Those Along the Line of the New York,
Ontario ana Western Are willing
to donate 100000 Tons
to the Reading.

Today's meeting in New York of the
| sales agents of the large coal carrying
| companies will be watched with great
interest. for they are expected to dc
something to relieve the strained rela-
tions that now exist among those who
put the dusky diamond on the market
Coal is selling in New York at SO a
ton, which coal operators hereabouts
agree is q ruinous price. and one that
cannot obtain for long without those
| connected with the mining of coal los
ing money.
The claim of the Reading company
for u per cent. of the total output has
also been a disturbing element in the
coal trade, but just how this matter Is
to be adjusted the best informed men
seem not to know.
L. B. Sturges, who Is interested in the
New York, Ontario and Western rail-
road and in the development of the
coal lands north of this city. said yes
terday that while the Readings claim
may not be just. he thought 1t would
be good business policy for the other
large companies to agree to let the
htdullIS nave IL anu dGuuCl Tic fUu,VVV
tons the Reading claims from their own
tonnage. The strength that would be
given to the market by such a course
would bring prices up and enable the
companies to make more money than
they would by mining 100000 tons more
under the existing state of things.
Proposition of Operators.
The individual operators along the
line of the New York, Ontario and
Western, Mr.. Sturges said. were so
anxious to see the difficulty adjusted
that they We're willing to give 100000
tons out of the amount of coal allotted
to them to the Reading as their dona-
ton to the 100000 tons If other COM
panies would take similar action
There does not seem to be general de-
sire among coal men, however, to EMU
late this example.
The Delaware and Hudson people
say they accepted a cut in their allot-
ment without protest, but that they can
tolerate no further curtailing of it, for
they will need all of the coal they are
privileged to mine to supply their trade.
They deny that they are going to cut
adrift from the agreement and mine
and ship as much coal as they can find
q market for. In evidence of the fact
that they are not trying to glut the
market they show that their collieries
at Plymouth were idle yesterday At
present they are carrying a very small
stock of coal.
There We're signs of greater activity
about some of the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western collieries yester-
day. A few of them were ordered on
full time and 1000 empty coal cars that
were lying in the yards about this city
were again put into service. This is no
evidence that they contemplate inde-
pendent action, the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western people say, but is
made necessary by the opening UP Of
navigation on the great lakes and other
bodies of water on which the company
ships a portion Of it's product to mar
ket.
New Cars for the Reading.
One thousand new cars have been or
dered by the Reading company, but
coal men say that even this is no evil
dence that that company intends to cut
a wider swath in the coal business. The
Readings rolling stock has been al
lowed to run down, they say, and their
coal cars have finally got into such
condition that they must be replaced
at once or the company will not even
be able to market the amount of coal
conceded to 1t.
In New York yesterday the street
was loaded with rumors to the effect
that certain New York banking inter-
ests connected with the leading an
thracte coal companies We're disposed
to urge the granting Of the Readings
demand of q per cent. of the tonnage.
The rumor could not be confirmed, and
late in the day dispatch was received
from Philadelphia, in which President
Harris was quoted as saying that he
knew nothing about the matter.