The Holly chieftain., 1900-09-28
EASTERN COAL TRADE
RAILROADS in ABSOLUTE CON-
>TRQL.
eAsy Chasvs Esssy ~ cssk - ystse II
Csal fse Healing y - Aaskss-Praess


been practically no change In the scale
Of wages or in the methods Of manage
ment In the anthrncits coal regions fer
nearly thirty years. Everybody aa-
mits that the whole system V AWk-
ward and antiquated, and hOp1s that
the present disturbAnce may result b
such changes and reforms - will
bring Il up to date. To this fact can
be traced most Of the friction between
the operators and their employees, and
tho reIations between the operators are
by no means harmonious. There is an
operators association, although the
members usually consider 1t necessary
to deny its existence, probably because
they fear their operatives will use the
fact as Qualification for Joining the
United Mine Workers or some other or
ganixation Of their own. Neyertheaess
IL has Its Headquarters at % COftlandt
street, New York, where the name Of
the association u painted upon the
door. 1t was originally organised, ~
1t Is now maintained, to tight the rail
belong to the association. The onicials
and speak Of 1t In contemptuous
manner.
The railway companies absolutely
control the coal trade. They regulate
prices and production. and are rapidly
securing ownership Of the mines and
undeveloped territory. They are eight
in number, as follows: The Reading.
Coal Company, Delaware Il Hudson,
Erie, Ontario & Western, Pennsylvan.a
Lackawanna & Western, Lehigh Val
ley and Jersey Central. Although the
railroads claim that they have no pool,
or trust, or agreement, or combination
of any kind, they appear to have an
understanding and work together with
perfect harmony. They share the traf-
tic In proper proportions and charge
the same rates, which are forty per
cent. Of the selling price Of their car
goes at the place Of destination. The
maximum haul Is $50 miles or therea-
bouts. That is, when coal is selling
for $5 ton the railway company that
hauls 1t $50 miles gets ~ and the pro-
ducer gets So. The producer claims
that this is an unfair and excessive
charge, but Is compelled to pay 1t or
he cannot get his coal to market.
Therefore, nearly all the producers sell
their coal to the railway companies at
the mouths Of the mines and take no
further trouble about it. There are
some exceptions, however.
| The price Of anthracite coal is fixed
by the railroad companies and the
fluctuations are frequent and irregu-
lar, for which there seems to be no ra-
tional excuse. 1t costs just the same
to mine coal one day as 1t does another
and the transportation charges have
not varied for quarter OF century
they are always forty per cent. of its
value-and the production and con-
sumption have increased steadily at
the rate of one per cent. year for the
Inst ten years, SO that one would think
that the value of coal would be as uni
form MS the value Of gold, but during
the last five years the price at the
mines has ductuated between $l.51
per ton, the minimum, and $2.O4, the
maximum.
The average wholesale price of all
the different grades of anthracite coal
at New York during the last nine
years has been as follows: 1891, $3.4S:
1852, 1857; 1893, 1870; 1894, 1882;
1895, $2.87; 1896, 1882; 1897, $3.43;
1908, 1884; 1899. $500. N
These prices were arbitrary and were
hxed by agreement among the railway
companies, and there q no rational ex-
PLANTATION for the extraordinary varia-
tions. f8