Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-30
COAL GETS SCARcER
Supply is Not Equal to the
Demand,
SAYS PRESIDENT BAER
THE CONSUMPTION HAS INcREAs-
ED ENORMOUSLY.
The Capacity Of the Mines Has Not
Kept Pace With This
Demand.

NEW YORK, April 30-President Baer Of
the Philadelphia and Reading railroad and
the Temple Iron Company resumed testify
ing today before the interstate commerce
commission at the hearing on the COM
plant of William r. Hearst that the coat
roads are charging excessive freight rates
FOR carrying anthracite coal from the mines
In Pennsylvania to tidewater, and are q
combination in restraint of trade.
Abiding to his testimony yesterday that
he would try to put the price of coal up un-
til it reached $, he said sales at a given
price meant delivery within the month
when the order was placed.
There has been steady increase In the
consumption of coal since 1897" said Mr..
Baer in reply to a question whether the in
crease in the production Of coal since lS.}S
had not been enormous. He then read sta
tistics of the coal tonnage of the coal roads
in recent years. The number of collielies,
he said. We're less now than in 1901 but the
capacity to produce was about the same.
Money was being spent on developing new
veins, but he said it took long while to
get ready to produce coal in new place,
usually from three to five years.
Capacity of the Mines the Same.
Mr.. Baer said while the company had
made improvements W hich facilitate mining
mines. The coal road and coal companies
developed an agreement for mining and dis
riDuting coal in summer from all mines
on a percentage basis The owners of
mines were willing to restrict the output,
so the coal road agreed to carry all coal
in summer as soon as mined, but in no case
when it was found the market would take
more were the cars refused. Mr. Baer said:
The Reading Coal and Iron Company
has power to restrict the output of its
mines. AS head of the corporation I have
the power to close mines.
There is no percentage agreement that
no man should mine more or less, though
there was as to the distribution of cars in
summer"
Commissioner Prouty asked Mr.. Baer if
in raising or reducing the coal traffic of his
road for certain month he did not take
into consideration the traffic percentage, as
regards other coal roads, of the month. or
months previous Mr.. Baer denied that he
did. His Only concern was about his own
properties Independent of all others.
Royalty Paid by His Company.
Replying to further questions by various
members of the commission, Mr.. Baer said
the average royalty paid by his company
in mining coal was 80 to 33 cents ton.
1.-The cost of mining our COAL he said,
has been running at s1.9S ton"
Replying to questions by commissioners.
Mr. Baer said that since 1900 there had
been no car distribution percentage plan.
because it had for various reasons ceased
to be of any use. He said that while the
plan was in effect it undoubtedly did have
some effect as to restricting the output,
but. he added, that nobody who needed
cars for coal was refused them.
To reduce the freight rate on hard coal
to that of soft coal would destroy the
Reading railroad.
Mr.. Baer took occasion to make some
what extended statement, in which he re-
ferred to the impending strike. which
threatens to tie up tugboat traffic in New
York harbor. Demands, he said had been
made by these harbor men on his road
which amounted to an increase of ~ per
cent in wages and shorter hours.