New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-12
THE ANTHRACITE COAL PROBLEM

The prospect OF strikes In anthracite coal re-
eions calls attention TO fact which few have
realized. that one considerable industry does
not share the general prosperity. The anthra-
cite coal miners of Pennsylvania have been SIN
cularly unfortunate, II is said. and II Is true
So many have left that region to secure better
having work elsewhere that 1t Is said to be dill
lcult TO find hands enough. and very doubtful
whether enough can be obtained Tor the larger
output which is required in the summer The
difficulty is not with the rate OF wages Inc
same men can earn more money IN the Dltuni-
nous coal mines, to which they, are focklng,
only because In those they have work from Zoo
to 300 days In the year, while In the anthracite
region they get only $50 TO 175 days In the year.
The anthracite miners cannot find full employ
ment because in various forms Of industry
bituminous coal is being year by year moro
largely used In place Of anthracite, while In do
nestle use gas Is steadily decreasing the con-
sumption of anthracite per capita.
These difficulties do not wholly or mainly re-
suit from the exceeding unwsdom displayed IN
former times by mining organizations In the
anthracite region. Riots and assass'nations
uncertainty and irregularity OF work, did In
deed drive from the region many thousands OF
miners of the better class, and created spirit
Of antaconism which Is inevitably hurtful TO
both employers and workers; and the substltu-
ton Of less intelligent and capable labor all the
time increases the cost Of mining, even while
many expensive improvements decrease 1t. The
III fortune of the miners in that region is in part
the frnit of their own unwisdom and mscon-
duct, but only in part
Lam al.r from 10 l.
carrying roads were for many years objects OF
most excited speculation, In which the control
ling parties took such interest that the perma-
pcnt success Of the roads was sacrificed In or
der 10 secure temporary gains. For that rea-
son. in large measure, 1t came to pass that I'M
portant coal-carryng roads were fatally loaded
down with debts and excessive Issues OF stock,
nor have various reorganlzations and proceed
jncs in bankruptcy availed to remove the In
tolerable burdens. As all the roads. whether
reckIessly overcapitalized and loaded with debts
or not. have to compete with each other-and
nothing is more deadly TO solvent concern
than competition with one bankrupt. excepting
competition with two bankrupts-the miscon-
| duct of some has become the curse of all. The
service rendered in hauling coal to market
would pay at low rates fair interest on the
actual cost of the roads engaged In the business,
! but they can never be expected TO pay on such
capital and debts as exist unless the rate
charged is high enough to cripple the mining
Industry and threaten decrease of consumption.
That the consumption In domestic use does
| decrease is shown by some figures given In the
| latest letter Of the Anthracite Operators AS
ISOLATION, which indicates that in Eastern
States the consumption per dwelling has fallen
20 per cent in ten years, ending with 1897. This
! Is attributed TO the fact that gas costing So %
will take the place for cooking purposes Of a
ton of coal costing s5. The enormous increase
In consumption of bituminous coal In manu-
facturc results likewise from the fact That with
present carrying and distributing charges coal
IS found the cheaper. These are not difficulties
which a strike can remove. Yet II is conceivable
that even so unwise and desperate an expedien.
as a strike might compel the carrying com.
panies, the operators and the local dealers to
unite In some method of reducing the cost OF
anthracite coal to consumers 1t Is not to be
forgotten that. according TO Official Statements
the cost OF local distribution In New-York nlone
averages something like 50 per ton. wlthou,