The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-27
Two SIDES TO ONE SUBJECT
E. b. Sturges Presents the Abused
Goal BarOn's" Side.
THE COST AND PRICE OF COAL
An Accurate and Lucid statement OF tho
Conditions Governing the Anthracite
Industry Facts aud Figures
That Garry Weight.

appeared In saturday isSuc VI 'iN
New York Tribune:
1.-THE term coal baron seems 10 nave
been adopted by common consent as
properly designating the modern rep
resentatives of Captain Kidd's piraticai
followers and their 'stand-and-deliVer
brethren of terra firma. Their business
places are the 'robber strongholds;
their meetings, if they dare hold any
are unlawful assemblies to devise
means for swooping upon the prey or
to divide the plunder when secured.
Even their donations to benevolent OBJ
jects are often regarded as in the ma
ture of oenitential offerings to secure
peace for the conscience and repose Tor
the soul.
"The subscriber. who has for some
years been subordinate member of
this piratical brotherhood, now pro-
poses, at the risk of self-crimination
and the wrath of his comrades, to turn
states evidence and reveal the man
ner in which these gentry rob the pub
lie and I'LL their overlooking Golfers with
ill-gotten gains.
A FEW DETAILS.
"a few prosaic details are necessary
as preliminary. There are 'barons and
| 'barons. But the genuine cold-blooded
specimen Is the miner and shipper of
anthracite coal. There is too much of
the bituminous variety for the owner
thereof to become very high handed
and oppressive. AS is known to most
newspaper readers. all the hard or
anthracite coal east of the Mississippi
| is within district comprising only
| few thousands of square miles, and
some half Il dozen Pennsylvania coun-
| ties. This limited acreage has been the
cause OF strife between the differ
| ent interests to secure as much as pos
| sible. And when obtained, the cost has
| been SO great that the excessive inter-
| est account has generally compelled de-
| velopment for the purpose of securing
| an income. The result is an annual
capacity of from 60,000000 to $1,000, 900
tons, and a market for only 45,O0O.OOO.
a condition of affairs not very different
| from that prevailing during the last
| few years in other branches of busi
ness. But there is a great difference
between this business and all others.
1t is this: While the market for an
thracite Is continually widening, the
possible output can never be consider
ably increased beyond the figures
named. In 1850 $4,000, 900 tons of anthra-
cite We're sold. In 1895 the market took
| 46,00O.00O. Thus :he demand has just
doubled in fifteen years, as it did in
the previous fifteen. At any like rate OF
increase, it will only be few years
before the question will be. How much
can be produced? instead Of, How much
| can be sold?
| WILL SOON BE SCARCE.
Just how soon the capacity will be-
| gin to fall below the present possibility
| hp
lively. but certainly within ten or tif-
teen years. Anthracite coal will within
a comparatively short time become a
luxury, even at points as near the min
ing regions as New York. If anyone
believes that the writer is making the
time of unlimited supply too short, let
him examine the field. In the Lacka-
wanna and Wyoming regions, which
now produce about So per cent. Of the
| total output, there are many cOllieries,
now large producers, that will be as ST.
lent as the grave within ten years, and
nearly all the others will be shipping
| much less than their present capacity.
| And there Is little undeveloped terri
tory from which to supply the loss. 1t
can be done partially by extensions in
the Schuylkill region, but only at a
largely increased cost for mining and
preparing.
80 the question arises, in this time
of combinations and trusts in nearly
every article that is grown or manu-
| factured, whether agreements to pre-
vent the premature mining and wasting
of this valuable product that can never
be replaced are criminal. Have they
not features that render them far more
justiflable than combinations in sugar,
wheat, tobacco, starch, hardware or
other commodities that can be pro-
duced in ever-increasing quantities as
long as the world endures? Is there
any legal or moral requirement COM
pelling the owner OF this necessary and
limited fuel to furnish 1t without profit
or at a loss to himself? That this has
been done, during recent years at least
will appear later.
THE REAL FACTS.
Goal shippers may be divided into
two general classes-the large corpora.
tion, owning both mines and trans
portation, and the individual operator
including the smaller mining corpora
ton. The latter is frequently a good
specimen of the modern spirit of en-.
terprise and business daring. He finds
one or more tracts of land not yet de.
veloped and in private hands. His first
work Is to obtain a grant, or lease as
1t Is called. of the anthracite coal under
these lands. for a term of years, or un-
til exhaustion. These leases are at q
fixed rate a ton. The rates now prevail.
ing are from 30 to so or even 60 cents q
ton for the larger sizes, according tC
location, quality of coal, thickness oi
Yeins-etc There is also invariably {
fixed annual minimum quantity to bt
mined or paid for, with strong provi
sions for absolute forfeiture of the lease
in case Of failure to comply.
1.-THE leases being closed, the heavy
royalty payments compel prompt ac
tion. Owing TO the limited quantity
of territory still undeveloped, any
. neighboring coal company will gener
, ally contract to carry the coal to mar
, Ret, and often also agree to furnish {
, portion of the funds necessary for de
velopment.
80 the shafts are sunk, the breakers
/; engine and boiler-houses. with tn
,, numerous other appliances, are erected
This requires generally about tw
, years. The expenditure varies from
. $4,000 to 100000 for a single colliery
1t would be a conservative estimate t
put the average expenditure at eacl
, as $250,000 before everything Is read
: for a fair output of coal.
Being ready, the situation of affair
4 | Is this: The operator has to meet a
annual royalty based on his compulsor
= minimum that nothing but strikes, fire
= or serious faults in the mines will eX
cuse him from. He has also an invest
ment of $25O.00O for his plant. II
must, In addition to continual eXpen
!. sive repairs, earn not only the inter
est on this. but also nearly the tots