The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-17
Common Sense.

Common Sense.
The alleged investigation of the So
called coal trust" ordered by the New
York state attorney general, has up to
this time resulted and of course will
result in nothing practical, for the suf-
fcient reason that there Is no coal trust
and no understanding among the lead
ers in the trade that can by any dis
tortion be construed to be violation of
law. There is a determination among
the producers of coal to get a price
which will return a dollar, and II pos
sible, a trifle more than a dollar for
each dollar spent; but this is simply
business. 1t is what every man in
business has in mind; the man who
operates on different principle con-
structs disaster.
Sensible advice on this subject Is Of
fered in the June circular of the Anth-
racite Coal Operators association to
persons willing to listen to common
sense. That valuable publication points
out q source of popular confusion in
the inability of many fluent denouncers
of the bugaboo coal trust" to separate
the anthracite industry into its COM
ponent parts and to recognize that
these are entirely separate and dis
tinct. There is" says, first, the min
ing and delivery of the coal on cars at
the breaker; second the transportation
of this coal to the distributing points,
nd ai ct,rih 20
consumers. The work a mining in
wolves heavy expenses and great risks.
The operators have invested millions
Of dollars in developing the mines and
erecting machinery to operate and pre-
pare the coal for market. In the case
may be entirely lost or, at least, re-
quire further large outlays to save the
money already spent. And. when the
coal has all been removed from the
lands controlled by any operator, then
everything he has spent in opening the
mine, in improvements and appliances,
is absolutely lost for there is nothing
left to show for it but a great cavity in
the ground and some second hand ma
chinery. If, now, at the end of years
operations those who have invested
this money and paid all the expenses of
mining the coal, find that they have
| received less for their product than its
| actual cost. it assuredly would be an
unwise business policy to continue in
the same manner.
tho n, ttarc Of tTa ,
and of delivery to the consumer there
| is much that Is worthy of searching in
Vestigation and radical action. The
rates of freight charged on all sizes of
| anthracite are greatly in excess OF
those paid on any other kind of bulky
freight, and, in fact. in some cases
more than the rates on small miscel-
| laneous freight Then, in the method
| by which the coal is handled for retail
distribution there is a heavy expense
much of which might be avoided if a
better system was used. Stove coal
for which the operator receives s.. 90
per ton or 2,24O pounds. at the mines
sells in New York city to retail con.
sumers for $4,90 per ton of {, 900 pounds
of $5.4O per ton of 2,24O pounds. There
is difference Of 1910 that is accounted
for in freights, commissions, selling ex.
penses and profits. These are the fea.
lures of the coal trade that require ac.
tion. Whatever change there may be
in the selling price Of coal must come
through economies in it's distribution
and not by trying to compel the opera.
tors to market their product for les.
than it costs them to produce it,"
We recognize the improbability thai
literature like this will have any inf
ence on demagogues except to max,
them rant more fiercely. but, to use al
expressive colloquialism, there ar
other pebbles on the beach" Not al
readers are blind to common sense.
With $13S, 100 900 more money in cir