Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-09-17
HURTING THE TRUST.
Twice as Much Coal Being Imported
Under Free COal as in Any
Previous Year,

The New York Times of August 81
contained an interview with Mr.. George
F. Baer, president of the Reading rail-
way, in which he said that coal mines
might have to be closed soon and miners
thrown out of work because OF the diff
ficulty of getting rid of coal especially
of the steam size. Tie 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 a ton in April, and then adj
vancing the price ten cents a month
until the figure again reached normal
by September 1 had worked very salts
factorily."
Yes, Mr.. Divine-rights Baer, it does
seem to have worked beautifully-for
the coal trust. 1t is, however, a little
hard on a few millions of us coal con-
sumers who 10Y 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
ington is now $7.25 and at Chicago $3.50
a ton.
Immediately following the Baer in
terview, the Times contained a dis
patch from Pennsylvania saying:
"The Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron company has issued a sweep
ing order closing every one of it's wash
cries that produce small sizes, and other
corporations and individual operators
have followed suit. 1t is estimated that
there are 1000, 900 tons of small sizes
new 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 80, 1903, offer some
additional explanation as to this over
supply of hard coal. They show that we
imported, last year, 3,S1S,1 S9 tons of
coal, or nearly 1000, 00G tons more than
were imported in any previous year,
and that of this amount 207, 1854 tons
were anthracite. This is more than 100
times as much anthracite as was i'm
ported in any year since the Dingley bill
taxing anthracite became law.
1t appears, then, that free coal, while
it has not compelled the hard coal trust
to lower it's prices for ordinary sizes of
coal (and this is not strange when it is
considered that there is nowhere else
anthracite like ours-that is Baer's-to
take its place., especially at interior
| points, has compelled it to reduce prices
of it's smaller sizes used for making
steam and which, therefore, compete
with bituminous coal. Nearly all of
this imported coal is consumed in New
England and on the Pacific coast. II
does a great deal to free manufacturers
in these sections from the exactions of
the hard and soft coal trusts nov
charging us two or three times a fair
price for this bounty of nature. Pos
silly some mistake was made when the
Almighty consigned this most valuable
heritage to Mr.. Baer to parcel out to the
rest of us earth jewellers at SO much per
ton.
1t 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 IL to 30 cents a ton
for these sizes. How Mr.. 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.
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