The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-21
"Our Perishing Anthracite"

Under this heading the EnllauelplIia
Times opportunely says: There is only
one great bed of anthracite coal in the
world and that is in Pennsylvania. 1t
has done more In revolutioniZing our
Industrial products than any one ma
terial that enters into the varied chan
n-ls of enterprise, and 1t should be
huslanded with reasonable care. SEN
sational New York papers insist that
anthracite coal shall be mined and fur-
nished to consumers at prices which
do not pay operators. miners or trans
portation companies Il fair return for
their capital and services. If the an
thracite coal field We're in New York
they would demand that it should he
huSbanded and not wasted by millions
of tons each year without just COM
pensaton to any engaged in producing
it, but as it is in Pennsylvania, New
York journals insist that any attempt
10 attain a fair price for anthracite coal
is robbery of consumers.
Last year Pennsylvania produced
some millions of tons of anthracite in
HN''SS VI tIlt' d'tutti uCIildhu'
IN it's forced sale at reduced prices;
and taking the average price for the
-ntire output it does not pay anything
approaching a fair return son the cap
ital invested. or fair wages to miners,
or fair compensation to transportation
companies. This Is simply midsummer
madness. and should be halted at once.
The cost of mining anthracite coal
necessarily increases each year by rea-
son of the depth from which the coal
is produced. In addition to this import
ant fact, it is known that the Scranton
anthracite field is likely to be entirely
exhausted within the next fifty years.
anG that the Wyoming field cannot con-
tinuc to produce much beyond that
period because of the increased lie
mands that must be steadily made upon
it. In short. the single anthracite bed
Of the world is in Pennsylvania. and
the field Is perishing. Not only must
each year increase the cost of prOduC
ing it. bat the tens of millions of tons
mined annually take just so much from
rapidly approaches the end of the pro-
duct.
''rhis fact should make the anthra
cite coal region adopt the most careful
measures to limit the product to the
actual necessities of the country, and
to secure for II a fair compensation for
operators and transporters with just
wages to labor. 1t is necessity not
only for the present prosperity of both
capital and labor. but for the protec
ton of this great source of wealth that
Is now rapidly being diminished and
must sooner or later be ended. A CEN
tury hence there will not be an anthra-
cite coal mine in operation, and before
the close Of another generation the les
son must be most impressively taught
by those who are interested in this i'm
portant product Let us deal justly
with the great wealth of Pennsylvania
and let it be produced only as it can
be consumed with fair compensation
to both capital and labor. Any other
policy must be the policy of suicide.
Those who complain when the pro-
ducers of hard coal try to save them
selves from bankruptcy by getting n
price sufficient to cover the actual cost
of mining. together with small margin
OF profit. will gain credit for consisten-
cy when they volunteer to sci! their pro-
ducts at loss, as donation to philan-
thropy.