The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-29
Business BreVities.

AN ADVANCE LIKELY.-It is not
unlikely that anthracite coal prices will
be advanced almost Immediately
twenty-five cents a ton at tide, and
further advances may be expected In
the more or less near future. The an
thracite coal combination Is apparently
In excellent working order, and promi-
ises to give good account Of itself. All
parties now recognize that in union is
strength, and the more union the more
strength. Every ton of coal produced
and sold below a reasonable price Is a
waste to the producer, who not only
loses on the sale Of the ton, but by rea-
son Of the depreciation of the value of
his mine. The Reading company has
already issued notice Of a 25-cent ad-
vance.
\ Il
SILVER COINAGE.-The issue of
standard silver dollars from the mints
and treasury offices for the week end
Ing April 25 was 1886, ,1OS, and for the
corresponding period last year was
S344,100. The shipment of fractional sill
yer coin from April to rs aggregated
$612,S9S.6O.
LESS PASSENGER TRAVEL.-Dur-
ing 1895 the Pennsylvania Railroad
company carried 90,177,9SO passengers
between New York city, Chicago and
st. Louis. This is falling off, as COM
pared with previous years. of nearly g.
600, ,OOC, which decrease Is accounted for
by the severe competition of the trolley
lines. The trolley system parallels the
Pennsylvania lines in many places. and
the drain WIS 50 great upon the local
travel Of the company, that early in the
mn O In fa IN
a number of the suburban points. The
decrease in passenger traffic, is almost
universal, as all the trunk lines have
suffered in the same manner. The
Philadelphia and Reading railroad also
suffered from the trolley competition,
although when It's travel began to fall
off, It made a big cut in the passenger
rates to local points, which brought
considerable of its local trade back to
it. In 1895, this company carried to
and from the Terminal station. Phila-
delphia, 17,996,3S0 passengers, while in
the previous year 1t carried 1904, 1888.
In 1898, when the business was divided
up between Ninth street and the Read
Ing Terminal, 20,715,111 passengers were
carried.
BRITISH LIQUOR TRADE.-The
British Medical. Journal gives some in
teresting figures. showing a steady in
crease in the revenue the British gov
ernment derives from the liquor trade.
In 1893 the amount Of beer on which
excise duties We're collected was 3O,-
594.350 gallons: in 1894, 31,745. 462 gallons:
and In 1896, 32.225,743 gallons. equivalent
to 4S0.2s1 gallons more than in 1894.
OF spirits consumed there were In 1894,
37,535,615 gallons. and in 1895, S9,OS2. .7S3
gallons equivalent to an increase over
1893 of 1,547, 1GS OF wine there We're in
1894. 13,S46.299 gallons. while in 1895 the
amount rose to 14635.56S gallons. show
Ing an increase over 1894 of 7Sg, ,269 gal
Ions. The entire revenue from this
source In 1894 was f31 323, 900. which in
creased in 1895 to f32, ,2l4. 900, an advance
of 1891 ,000 Thus there has been an all
around and large increase In the con-
sumption Of Intoxicating liquors.
FACTS ABOUT GOLD.-The average
annual gold exports from this county
for the ten years from 1886 to 1896 in
elusive, were $50, ,175. 1856, and the aver
age imports $31, ,78l, All, or an average
annual net loss OF $2S,394,725. In two Of
the years--1SS6 and 1SS7-the imports
exceeded the exports by S35, ,770,S32. The
net loss to this country for the ten
years was $2S3,947,250. The amount of
gold produced In the United States In
the ten years was 335S, 100000. giving us
an increase in gold stock OF $74.5O2, ,75O.
The largest production for any one year