The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-08
THE HIGHER PRICE OF COAL
An Increase Of Forty Cents a Ton
Since April.
Competition Has Lost It's Force to
Keep Down the Selling Rate of the
Anthracite Product-The Remedy
That IL offered to the Public.

competition Has Lost It's Force to
Keep Down the Selling Rate of the
Anthracite Product-The Remedy
That IL offered to the Public.
PHILADELPHIA. Aug. S.-The sliding
scale increasing monthly until September
the price of anthracite coal 10 cents a ton,
which has been enforced by the opera
tors OF the Coal Trust. has raised the
price Of hard coal for August 10 cents
ton to an consumers. The scale was first
felt by the public in April. when ii went
into force, and since that time anthracite
coal has advanced 30 cents "A ton II is
possible that the September schedule viii
set the price of the product for tne win
ter months. although under present con-
ditions the trust has the power to raise
or lower the selling price arbitrarily
whenever It sees fit.
The advantage the operators claim for
the new scale is that il makes the de
mand For anthracite coal more uniform
throughout the year. whereas formerly
the mines were worked TO their fullest
capacity iu the winter. while I'm summer
months the mines were Idle and the min
,rs and other workers were thrown out
Of employment.
The pres sent and increasing high price
Of anthracite coal is good thing saj@
a man who IS familiar with the conditions
Of the trade 1t is a good thing. not only
for the operators. railroads. and dealers.
hut for the public as we'll he confined.
Let me more fully explain. II is a pres
ont good for the producers in that the
high price enables them To meet the heavy
demands on them in the shape of royal
~.
or charges, in cases eNorEitaut. due 90
the peculiar conditions that nov confront
the mine owners and producers. 1t must
be remembered that an enormous amount
of capital is invested in the hard coal
fields of Pennsylvania. and although
much of it has been @reekIcsSly- Invested,
without regard to-thc future ut the time
il was made. We must not forget that it
is a present and. GA not a few CASES,
heavy charge on the producers. Fiuau-
gilI wars Of the past must be paid for
10y the SUCCESSORS Of those who fought
them. as must the civil wars o. our fore
fathers ry their children.
"I am not an advocate Of ,he Coal
Trust. or whatever you choose To call the
group of capitalists now controlling the
production and transportation of authra-
cite coal I am merely trying 20 look It
this broad question from an impartial
standpoint.
Il said the high price Of coal was a good
thing for TN. public as well as The 1plrat-
oTs, although 10 is more of a future good
than present one. ] VIII tell you why /
think SO. The public realizes that there
is no longer competition among the pro-
ducers Of hard coal - keep prices down.
and that thus the combine is able 20 set
the price that viii bring 20 them the
greatest return This retgTR gives a very
wide margin above the natural cost OF
production for profits. IL is such now as
VIII attract into the field. as Indications
already show other different capitalists
who are Interested I'm supplying fuels Of
different kinds 10 consumers. Thus VIII
Dee emphasized. as Is already being done
IN other lines OF production what is TO my
mind the greatest OF all economic laws
one that viii keep down prices 20 their
natural basis with enough profit not an
CNorhitant one, 10 pay those interested in
the various enterprises. And what IS Of
Tar greater import 10 the public is the fact
that the people. and they alone. can con-
troll the operation Of this law. as they
cannot do in the case Of the law Of comDe-
tition. as the law is popularity recognized.
where oil, gas. both natural and artif-
cial; coke. bituminous coal. and certain
chemical combinations as are being al
ready experimental upon in the case Of
what are called 'brickettS. were each 20
De- brought into competition with authra-
cite coal as fuel You can readily see
that the price Of the latter product can
Ot-gcnerally speaking. and for the pres
ent not considering the few cases where
anthracite coal has particular advant-
age-be much above the cost OF pTOdUc-
ton, including profit. Of the cheapest ar
ticlc among those mentioned When the
public begins more fully 10 realize such
practicable escape from the high price Of
an article, ii will devise means 20 change
from the use OF the high-prtced to that
of the lOW-pTiccd article. II is the pub
lies use Of this law Of substitution that
offers II an escape from the exOrbitaut
cxaCtiou Of the trusts.
In the case Of anthracite coal. It must
not be forgotten that II Is natural mo-
DDpoly. II Is found nowhere In paying
quantities, except In che eastern part OF
Pennsylvania. Even this is limited in
quantity. and fits complete exhaustion
within the lifetime Of che coming geuer-
atiDI is easily conceivable. and FOR thaJ
matter IS almost an assured reality, as
much as such things can be. The charge
for mining the coal Is increasing year 10y
y-ar. oHlHE, among other things. Z" the
increasing depth from which IL must Re
mined Besides. there are some cases
where it IS being used for which there is
uo substitute. Ir these cases 70 VIII al
ways have a monopoly. but IN the great
majority 0f cases substitutes al. possible,
and these have been slowly and VIII now
hc more rapidly brought into general use.
Throughout the hard coal region are
vast banks. or small mountains Of Culm
ar coal refuse. They have been dumped
there from the mines AZ n time whrn but
"a small percentage Of the coal as taken
out of the mines was me- rketab bic. but OF
recent years. owing 10 inventions Of
one kind and another. more Of the pro
duct as mined Is salable. In these cuIm
banks are vast rcgJurCcs Of coal that
can be- made marketable. and i'm some
BY TEST HAS PROVEN BEST.
Grnrr,s Ta-teIe.. CEin Tnnic