The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-08


What would be fair freight rate on
this haul of anthracite? Opinions differ.
even among practical railway men. The
best opinion appears 10 be whatever
the traffic viii bear IL is upon this
principle rates appear to have been fixed.
Both the interstate commerce commission
and the industrial commission at wash
ineton have found that the roads IN the
anthracite field were charging excessive
rates. from two 10 three times as much
as is charged on soft coal, ana relatively
much higher rates than are charged on
pig iron. steel. etc The railway mana
gers claim anthracite SHOULD pay high
er rate than soft coal, because il is a
more valuable commodity. But this would
not apply to one-thiTd of the output the
small sizes, which they themselves claim
has 10 be sold for steam use down al
most to soft coal prices. nor would it
apply to comparisons between pig iron
and steel, which are much more valuable
than hard coal.
According TO the reports Of the inter
state commerce commission. soft coal is
carried in many parts of the country at
from TO mills per ton mile All the
freight carried by all the railroads OF the
United states averages only about S mills
per ton mile, including high-class goods
perishabIe commodities ard fast lines.
II il be assumed that mills is an ade-
ouate rate on anthracite. and that the
average haul is $50 miles, the cost Of car
rying coal from the mines TO tidewater
is 65 cents per ton. Without much doubt
It can be done for less at a fair profit
bit, using this figure, We gnd the ton Of
coal delivered aboard chip or TO the
wholesaler in the great consuming cen
ters is s1e9 at the mines. 50 cents for
freight: total. s2.25. But the average sell
ing price last year was 1875.
There is left Sl.30 a ton for selling ex-
penses and profit. or nearly 60 per cent
upon the actual cost Of the commodity
delivered in market.
It is not surprising that the possibility
Of big profits in the anthracite field could
the competition of independent operators
be stopped and a monopoly be created,
offered the keenest sort of temptation to
the genius of ]. Pierpont Morgan.
IN its final report the United States in
dustrial commission declared the railway
companies controlling the anthracite bus
mess. charged too much 10 transportation
account. and besides juggled their figures
so it was difficult to learn their true i'm
port.
have the Grading company's report,
which shows that in 1899 their coal traffic
earned .SSs cents per ton mile, inclusive
of soft coal, which was carried at about
one-thira the rate of hard coal.
Last year the Erie reported that all its
freight traffic-high class and low class
together-netted .5s7 per ton mile. The
Pennsylvania and other large carriers Of
low class freight show an even smaller
ton mile earning
To make their books balance the an
thracite roads figure the freight rate on
hard coal at from two to three times
what it should be; witness the Lacka-
wanna's SIS per ton for an average
haul Of about 1s5 miles or a cent per ton
mile. Soft coal is carried from the Pitts
burg district to the lake ports. a similar
distance. at 70 cents per ton. West Vir-
ginia coal is carried to the lakes at 81
cents per ton In the west many soft
coal rates are even lower in proportion
These are only a few Of many facts that
could be arrayed 70 show how the hard
coal trust has perfected its methods and
how by virtue of monopoly combination
in defiance Of law It is mulcting the pub
lie On the one hand and on the other is
refusing justice and fair wages to its
employees.