The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-30
Tells Opposing Lawyer He is
 Not a Gentleman
WILL RAISE PRICE OF COAL
Ills object In Establishing Big Gen eraI Sales Depot Was to Get Rid of the 10 Gents Commission.
 Can Control Market.

New York, April 29.-President George F. Baer today was again a witness before the interstate commerce commission, In its investigation into the complaint of William R. Hearst against the coal carry ing roads.
 Mir. Baer estimated that s,500000 tons Of coal Is carried annually by the Reading system. J. P. Morgan, he said, was not one of the men interested in the Simpson & Watkins project to establish big general sales depo. for anthracite coal. He declined to disclose the names of thUse who were so interested. MT. Baer said he promoted the plan to purchase the Tenn pie Iron company and that six railroads were interested. He suggested the per- centage of the different companies and their directors accepted 1t. The plan. he said, was not so broad as to make the Temple Iron company the sales agent of the six companies in New York, nut 1t was intended to get rid of the commission men.
 His idea, MT. Baer said. was not to maintain a uniform price for coal at tide water, but to get rid of the commission of ten cents ton for selling coal. He had reduced the expense of selling.
 But you have not succeeded in reduce ing the price of coal to the consumer ,' said counsel.
 'No," replied Mir. Baer, "because you and your friends have succeeded in raising wages and getting up the cost of neoes- stiles so that profits are less"
 MT. Baer said he could produce the con- tracts between the Temple Iron company and the railroads Counsel for the roads objected and he declined to produce them.
 An InsoIent Question.
 'Is there anything in these contracts" MT. Shearn asked, that would degrade or incriminate your"
 T decline to answer that question be- cause it Is insolent. There is nothing in any contract I have ever made that makes me criminal your client pub lished me as being, and he cannot come into court and insult me. You are not a gentleman or you would not insult me- T ask, the court to rebuke the witness" ]" said MT. 'shearn, turning to the comnis- sion.
 The commission declined to rebulke MT. Baer. He refused to answer a question whether the Temple Iron company has paid the Philadelphia and Reading com pany 11ac a ton for all coal shipped by 1t since April 10, 1899
 T do say this emphaticaily," declared MT. Baer. There has been no pool or combine to regulate the price or output of coal between the railroad presidents since I have been president of the Reading system"
 MT. Shearn read to the witness a part of the testimony he gave the investigat- ing committee of the strike of 1900, when he explained that the 65-35 per cent agreement between the railroad com panes was the result of Senator Hanna s appeal that continuance of the strike meant danger to the Mckinley Roosevelt Presidential ticket. MT. Baer said 1t was true The price of coal sold by the Phil adelpha ana Reading company. he said, was fixed after a general consultation with the general coal agents and sales agents The other companies pursued a hke o9urfa He added:
 rle Fixed the Price.
 'T thought we were the strongest peo-
 
 tHu other dealers to do the same. They lc-tse4 me of being arbitrary, and I ad-
 Hlt perhaps I was arbitrary, but l
 hat t was necessary. After the
 several companies complained
 i Lhay could get better price than ! bod fixed for the Reading company s c.ai They asked me to raise the price ! refused, and they had to come down to our price"
 He lid that the price of coal had been ra'sei 5o nts a ton because the cost J rroducflon had been Increased
 The Read ng system was not earning ir divden because of the low price 'alizaa on US coal. There was, he said, u0 raiiroad n the United States with so much business and made so little profit. Asked why the men were locked out of ths uirses he said:
 "TheB refuse to work unless we give for seven hours' work the pay of ten hours work and we are not going to do It." But you nave fixed the rate at $4. 50 a lth.
 Yes and on May 1 I am going to ad- vance ,he price 10 cents and try to work it up "a S5 hat will be fair price and win give us 2. profit. If I can't get the price lfl have to come down. If the market win ake it at s5, the price will rct bs r.edGctl"
 Can ontrol Coal Market.
 Mr. Baier ea he believed he could con trol the coll market. He said he had not cons Nltel any of the other coal com pany men but he did not fear that if he afed i6 Con the other companies would X any less. They would be foolish if tltg di3.i
 And yet you say there is competition ir lhe usiness?' MT. Shearn asked. "Of c1gusa here Is; fair and square e mpeddpn. lIr. Baer replied.
 It Is inot necessary that competing merchants fhould cut each other's tn oats
 DO tha railroads actually compete for bu ness l' the coal region?'
 'ln thc sense of building lines to the collieries thav do compete. In the sense of unGee-senag each other, they don't. I uont talieve in trying to take business where 'Acl aolfr must entail a loss on an exishnl c'onipa without any certainty of sfs1a tv the new conner. If there Is neN'a t.siness, ] suppose we all compete for it"
 "Is, there al agreement among the roads to K eI If each others territory in the coal reeiou?"
 NJ Hse- said he knew of no such agr nnt
 FNrtnec asamir ation was postponed un- til tunlrr1E ro ming.
 Died.
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