The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-06
The Coal Shortage.

II Senator LODGE although a somewhat !
rigid protectionist who believes in main
tanning high duties, yielded to the cutlery |
Of his own section yesterday and intro |
duced a bill suspending for ninety days
the duty on COAL declaring that New Eng |
land manufa cturers and others were in
great distress on account of the scarcity
of fuel
Senator Culberson also introduced
resolution removing the duty on anthra-
cite coal, the lower grades Of which con-
tanning a diminishing percentage Of car
bon, are dutiable according to de-
termination Of the general appraisers Of
the treasury department. The anthracite
of the measures in northeastern Pennsy-
vania is adjudged by some experts to be
the purest in the world, the quality of the
Wales article being some points below
ours. It has generally been supposed
that anthracite coal was on the free list,
for the reason that there being no compe
tition Of the identical quality it did not
need protection. But the senate amended
the DingIey tariff so as to impose a duty
of 67 cents ton bituminous coal and
!. on all Goals containing less than 80 per
cent Of fixed carbon. The experts have
decided, rightly or wrongly, that there, is
no anthracite which contains fixed carbon
to the extent of 80 per cent, and that the
Pennsylvania article contains not to ex-
coed 80 per cent and is therefore dutiable
at 81 cents per ton.
After the Dingley law went into effect
the imports of anthracite dropped from
$1,000 tons in 1897 to one ton In 1901
Evidently the duty on anthra cite should
be repealed. 1t was inserted at the re-
4 quest of owners of mines of inferior BIZ
luminous coal on the Pacific coast
The Pennsylvania. anthracite product
In 1901 was $4,000, 900 long tons. AS it is
not necessary to burn anthracite coal to
keep warm and the country has mex
haustible supplies Of bituminous coal, it
may be asked why such an urgent call for
: fuel and complaints Of short supply and
high prices? 1t may likewise be asked
why, in Chicago last week, hundreds of
cars loaded with good 'bituminous coal
were sidetracked for days, although some
thing in the nature of a coal famine ex-
lists there? 1t may be asked, also, how
it Is that anthracite coal has recently been
shipped abroad from this country and sold
below the price in Boston? T..
1t is no wonder that the public is be-
ginning to see that it must take a hand
& In abating the rigors of monopoly and is
not going to allow the impressive lessons
Of the past year to slip out of it's mind
The doing out of meat and fuel at the
u highest possible prices to the public as if
mononoly thinks it a great favor to let
the public have any of the necessaries Of
life, has made the worm turn. It is only
necessary to keep up the agitation for the
application of the laws to the monopolistic
corporations and to supply the deficiencies
in existing laws by wholesome and ef-
# fective amendments. The public must
fight monopoly control Of the markets
monopoly control of, transportation, mo.
nopoly conscription Of dealers who under
take to do business on terms other thar
B those laid down by the lordy combine
ard merger.
1T is true the anthracite barons havs
Just told the public that it is the public's
fault that there is any difficulty abou
getting fuel and that the public ought t
mind it's own business and let the Goa
barens have their own way, but the publ,
u only stimulated by such outrageous i'm
~