The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-29
SMALL OPERATORS WIN.
Coal Trust Yields to Them ms Well
nv to Miners.

NEW YORK, Oct. 2s.-The striking min
ers in the anthracite coal regions not
alone will be benefited by the great strug-
gle which has practically ended, but
the individual operators have come out
Of the contest with flying colors. The con-
tention between the operators Of this class
and the big companies which not only
mine, but transport coal to market, is of
long duration.
The mining and transportation com
panies, such as the Reading, the Delaware
and Hudson, the Lackawanna, and the Jer-
sey Central, derive their greatest revenue
in the coal business, not from mining, but
from transporting the coal, keeping the
freight tolls up to point which is very
profitable. Thus II has happened that tae
companies which act in this dual capacity
often actually mine coal at loss, but
make up the deficiency in the revenue
which they derive by carrying the coal to
market. The operator whose business is
confined to mining coal is placed at a dis
advantage because he can gei no greater
price for his product at the mine than that
which has been fixed by the big companies,
and he has not the chance to make up out
Of tolls whatever he may have lost in the
actual operation of mining.
AS an outcome of the conferences which
have been going on between the big COM
panies and the individual operators con-
cessions have been made on the part OF the
transportation companies which partially
overcome the advantage which they have
heretofore enjoyed and which will help to
place the individual operators and tine dual
companies upon an equal footing. The
concession will net the individual operator
about is cents per ton.
This. of course. was not brought about
without some concession on the part OF
the Individual operators. who on their
part agree to abandon the construction of
the independent coal railroad which was
projected to give them an independent
outlet to tidewater by way of the Hudson
River. The word abandon is little too
strong: allegiance is the better word for
IL is the understanding that while the
project OF the independent railroad is
dropped for the present the charter will
still rest in the control Of the individual
operators. who will hold 1t as a club over
the heads of the anthracite coal roads,
and II their managers do not play fair to
the little fellows the threat to build the
independent line will be made whenever IL
may be necessary to resort to such tao
tics.
The only question which is as yet unset
tied between the big companies and the
Independent operators is that any new de-
velopment Of coal territory on the part
Of the railroad companies shall be taken
out OF the allotment Of the party causing
the development, and not taken on a per-
centage basis from the other companies
and the independent operators. AS soon
as n satisfactory conclusion is reached
upon this issue there will be such peace
among the operators in the anthracite
regions as has not existed for many years.
The progress which has been made in
these negotiations is one of the reasons
for the strength Of Reading stock The
negotiations have chiefly been conducted
at the Office of the Reading Company, and
one Of the men who played an important
part in bringing about settlement of the
differences was John Lcwber Welsh, who
is director Of the Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad and of the Philadelphia
and Reading Coal and Iron Company