Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-12-16
Coal Business Should be investigated.

In these days corporations hat derive
ing held to s~tricter account, if their op-
erations are of a character affecting the
public welfare or convenience, or if they
control public utilities. There is a cor
poration operating in New Mexico
which is Of a q~uasi-public character,
that is certainly not carrying out its
legitimate functions in good faith, and
it might be we'll for the solicitor general
to see whether it has complied with the
law requiring incorporation in the ter
ritory and the territorial statute against
trusts, pools and combinations; wheth-
er it is not liable to penalties and to
be denied the privilege to car
ry on business at all. And If so, wheth-
er the privileges enjoyed are not for
feited by its methods. The Cerrillos
Coal Railroad Company, which has up
piled this city and territory with coal,
and upon which territorial public insti-
tutions have been dependent for this
public utility, is a chartered company
enjoying the benefits Of incorporation.
and the privileges the territory bestows
In consideration of and as an encour-
agement to the development of the coal
mining and railway business. This
property the Colorado Fuel and Iron
Company has leased, and therefore is
availing itself of the rights and privi-
I--.. - :t. pa & IL, v.t
doing what it was expected to do. The
mines are worked to such a limited ex.
tent as to give rise to the belief that it
is the intention of the company to limit
production, on the trust plan, so as not
to have too great an output of COX and
coal. 1t operates mines elsewhere, in
Colorado and New Mexico, and the
same complaint of insufficient produc-
ton comes from every point. The plea
has been made that the production is
limited for lack of miners, but an in
crease Of wages corresponding to that
in other lines Of industry would secure
labor in abundance. The second plea
that cars could not be had to haul the
Goa is no longer available. Some of the
public institutions of the country, the
United States Indian school and the
/ p~enitentiary, for instance, both within
miles Of the mines, have been hampered
| and loss been incurred because this cor
poration, without a legitimate reason,
is not doing business properly. The peo-
| pie have also been deprived of fuel up
ON which they have long relied. There
a member Of a general coal trust, or is
building up an exclusive monopoly of
it's own. Its agents are quick to visit
and inspect every new coal prospect re-
ported at any railway point, They have
made propositions to handle the coal
! output Of various operating mines, in
order to get control of the trade, Only
last week the company's chief coal ex-
| pert was sem to inspect the mines of
the New Mexico Coal Company in Otero
county, to reach which the Ell Paso &
Northeastern railway was built. These
mines in Lincoln county are beginning
to enter the territorial market, and ex-
pect to sell their product also in Ell
Paso, Arizona and Los Angeles, in COM
petition with the Cerrillos coal. The in
spection was made because the Colo
RADIO company desires to acquire the
output of the mines, as it has in other
cases, to control the market, and per-
haps the effort may have already been
successful.
Probably a similar scheme is OF with
reference to the Gallup district. If this
corporation secures control of these dis
tricts, or establishes a pool, then it may
be expected hal production will be on
stantly limited; perhaps some of the
mines closed and the price of fuel in
creased, and competitors crushed, If
there be any. 1t is not too early to an
ticipate this action by inquiry into the
methods and status of this corporation,
and to check it's growing power if pos
sible, and seek to compel it to perform
its proper functions or deprive it Of such
authority and privileges as it may hold
from the territory.