The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-10

The executive committee of the An
thracite association met last evening
IN the office of the secretary of the
hoard of trade and after carefully con.
sidering all The data laid before them
determined upon an active and def
mite line procedure. They are fully
convinc 4 that the carrying railroad
compf lies are violating both the let
ter and spirit of tire interstate COM
merce law,to the detriment of the busi-
ness communities dependent upon the
anthracite coal trade. and have decid-
ed to employ the best legal talent TO
enforce the provisions of the act. The
association Is actively alive to the sit
uation and Will pursue a vigorous pol
lev.
Such in a nut shell is the business
transacted at the meeting. 1t will be
remembered that convention of
prominent business men from the an
thracite region was held on June g
and ~ in the board of trade rooms.
The object that called them together
was to devise ways and means for the
retirement of the condition of the hard
coal trade, which, everybody knows,
has been Wretched for many months.
They formed themselves into the An
thracite association.
Seventy-five or more leading citizens
representing commercial bodies of this
city, Wilkes Barre, Pittston, Halle
ton, Mt. Carmel, Pottsvile and other
parts of the anthracite region attended
the convention. Thomas H. Dale. OF
this city, was chosen president. In the
minds Of all of them the opinion was
strongly intrenched that the condition
of the coal trade was the result of an
unjust discrimination of the carrying
| roads in favor OF bituminous coal.
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
Permanent organization was effected
and three committees were appointed;
committee to confer with the rail-
road companies of which w. G..
Thomas, of Pittston, was made chair
man; a committee on interstate COM
| merce, of which Noris Auten, of Mt.
Carmel, was made chairman. and one
| on laws and legislation, of which Col.
| onel Meredith l.. Jones' of this city,
| was made chairman. These three gen.
| tlemon comprised the executive COM
| mittee that met last night. The sec
| retary, w. x. Lord, of Mt. Carmel:
! President Dale, Samuel r. Price. of
| Hazleton. and John c. Berner, of Ha-
zleton were present besides. They
spent from Z o'clock until $50 in de-
| liberation.
| The committee has obtained data
they claim, 10 prove that the carrying
| roads are violating the provisions of
| the interstate commerce law. The
freight on hard coal is from Z to II
mills per ton per mile, and on soft
| M.
| States laws and the laws of Pennsyl-
vanid are plain in their opposition to
| freight discrimination. The state law
says that mo unjust or undue dis
elimination shall be allowed by carry
ing companies, rail or canal; and
| freishts of like character shall not be
carried in the same direction and in
| the same manner at different proper
| tionate rates"
Remedies to better the trade are
two. one the construction of coal car
rying road to New York that would
charge a fair haulage rate, or action
against the present carrying compe nies
to compel them to adjust the rates on
hard coal to a reasonable basis.
MEMBERS WERE RETICENT.
The latter action is the one to be
aimed at for immediate relief The
members of the committee in CONVEX
sation with a Tribune reporter after
the meeting said they propose to take
action Immediately. They have, they
say, an abundance of evidence to pre-
sent the strongest kind of a case be-
fore the interstate commission or any
other tribunal they may determine to
go before. But for the present they
preferred not to outline their policy
in any specific terms.
Colonel Jones winked across the
table at Mr.. Auten and remarked: I'VE
lawyers do not try our cases out of
court, do we?"
He said they had secured evidence
that in Scranton a large order for soft
coal has been given and intimated that
II was one of the links in the chain
of discrimination against anthracite.