The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-09-24
Free Coal Hurting the Trust

The New York Times recently con-
tanned an interview with Mr.. George
F. Baer, President of the Reading
railway. in which he said that coal
mines might have to be closed soon
and miners thrown out of work be-
cause of the difficulty of getting rid
of coal. especially of the steam size.
The Times report says:
HE said that the plan he had in
augurated when he became President
of the Reading of making a reduction
of so cents ton in April. and then
advancing the prices 10 cents month
until the figure again reached normal
by Sept. 1-had worked very satisfac-
torily''
Yes. Mr.. Divine-rights Baer. it does
seem to have worked beautifully-for
the Coal Trust 1t is. however, n lit
tie hard on a few millions of us coal
consumers who now have to pay high
er prices for coal than ever before. ex-
cept during and after the strike of
last year. The retail price of anthra-
cite at Washington is now $1.25 and
at Chicago $50 ton.
Immediately following the Baer in
terview, the Times contained dis
patch from Pennsylvania saying:
1.-The Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron Company has issued sweep
ing order closing every one of its
washeries that produce small sizes, and
other corporations and Individual ope-
rators have followed suit. 1t is esti-
mated that there are 100000 tons Of
small sizes now in stock. for which
there is little demand"
The inadequate demand for anthra-
cite coal is said to be partly due to
closed mills and TO the increased use
of soft coal for steam purposes. But
the statistics of foreign commerce for
the year ending June 30. 1908, offer
some additional explanation as to this
oversupply of hard coal. They show
that we imported last year 3,S1S, ,1S9
tons of coal, or nearly 100000 tons
more than were imported in any pre-
vious year, and that of this amount
POI. .664 tons were anthracite. This is
more than 100 times as much anthra
cite as was imported in any year since
the Dingley bill taxing anthracite be-
came law.
1t appears, then, that free coal. while
It has not compelled the hard coal
trust to lower its prices for ordinary
sizes of coal (and this is not strange
when it is considered that there is no.
where else anthracite like ours-that
is Baer's-to take its place., especially
at interior points. has compelled it to
reduce prices Of its smaller sizes used
for making steam and which, there
fore, compete with bituminous coal.
Nearly all of this imported coal is con-
sumed in New England and on the Pa
cific Coast. 1t does great deal to
free manufacturers in these sections
from the exactions Of the hard and
soft coal trusts now charging us two
or three times fair price for this
bounty of nature. Possibly some mis-
tako WIS Iudue WHci tuC <AiihiShes
consigned this most valuable heritage
to Mr.. Baer to parcel out to the rest
Of us earth dwellers at so much per
ton.
1t will be observed that the excess
of imports over former years (2,000,-
BOO tons) just about measures the sur
plus stock of steam coal for which no
market can be found, although prices
have been reduced from 15 to 30 cents
ton for these sizes. How Mr.. Baer
must hate free coal. But he is lying
low and saying nothing. for he knows
that his Republican friends in Con-
gress put coal on the free list only for
one year and that bituminous coal will
be dutiable again next January. He
will not agitate this coal tariff again.
But will the manufacturers and the
people keep quiet? B. W. III.