The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-09-18
The TRUST BEING HUpT.
Twice - Much Coal BEING tmporfes
Under Free Coal ~ In Asv
Previous Year.

The New York Times OF August 81
contained an interview with Mr. George
r. Baer. president OF the Reading rail-
way. in which he said that coal mines
might have 10 be closed soon and miners
thrown out OF work because of the diff
fcuIty o. getting rid OF coal. especially
OF the steam sire. The Times report
says:
He said that the plan he had in
ausurated when he became president Of
the Reading OF making a reduction OF
~ cents a ton in April. and then ad-
va1cing the price ten cents month
until the figure again reached normal
by September had worked very salts
factorily-"
Yes. Mr. Dsvine-rsshts Baer. 1t does
seem 10 have worked beaurifully-for
the coal trust Il IS. however. a little
hard on a few millions OF Us coal con-
srners who now have TO pay higher
prices for coal than ever before. except
during and after the strike OF last year
The retail price OF anthracite at Wash
!r-ton il ncs s. - and at Chicago $50
a ton
Immediately following the Bacl in
terriew. the Times contained a dis
patch from Pennsylvania saying:
The Philadelphia aid Reading Coal
and Iron company has Issued sweep
ing order closing every one OF its wash
cries that produce small sizes. and other
corporations and individual operators
Z <nst Sc al huf
there are 201.v00 tons Of small sizes
now in sock. tO- which there is little
demand
The inadequate demand for anth-a-
cite coal is said 10 be partly due 10
closed mills and to the increased use of
soft coal for steam purposes But the
satisfies OK foreign commerce for tina
Y year ending June -. 1903. offer soma
additional explanation as TO this over
supply Of hard coal. They show that we
imported. last year. S.sls.Iss tons o:
coal. OF nearly e00c 900 tons more than
were imported in any previous year.
and that of this amount 20T.C5f tons
zere anthracite This is mere than 100
times IS much anthracite as was i'm
ported in ary year since the Dingley bill
taxing anthracite became law
Il X appears. then. that free coal. while
IL has ro- compelled the hard coal trust
10 lover its prices for ordinary sizes u
coal taad this Is not strange when IL is
considered th1g there is nowhere else
anthracite Ike ours-that is Baer' s-to
take its place.. especially al interio.
points. has compelled II to reduce prices
os frs smaller sizes used for making
steam and which. therefore. compete
with bituminOEs coal Nearly all of
this imported coal t. consumed in New
England and on the Pacific cclst- II
does a great deal 10 free manufacturers
in these sections from the exactions Of
the hard and soft coal trusts now
charging US two or three times a fair
price for this bounty OF nature Pos
sibly some mistake was made when the
Almighty consigned this most valuable
heritage TO Mr.. Baer TO parcel out to the
rest Of US earth dwellers at so much per
ton
II will be observed that the excess Of
imports over former years $4,000. 900
tons) Just about measures the surplus
stock OF steam coal for which no mar
ket can be found. although prices have
been reduced from L. to 30 cents a ton
for these sizes How MFR. Baer must hate
free coal, But he is lying low and say
ing nothing. for he knows that his re-
publican friends in congress put coal
on the free list only for one year and
that bituminous coal will be dutiable
again next January. He will not agi-
tate this coal tariff again. But will the
manufacturers and the people keep
quiet.
BYRON w. HOLT