Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-14

President CasSatt OF the Pennsylvania
railroad has written letter to Senator
Stewart of the Senate District committee
concerning the coal traffic going over that
road which throws much light on the SUBJ
ject
The Contracts With Independents.
Mr.. Cassatt says: "In reply to the in
uuiry contained in your favor of the 9th
instant 1 beg to say that the mines owned
by this company furnish less than one-half
of the anthracite coal which it transports
the remainder being made UP of coal pur-
chased from private operators by the agents
who sell the railroad companys coal. The
contracts under which the agents purchase
this coal provide that the price at the mines
shall be based upon the price the coal brings
when sold.
After mining operations were resumed
our agents proceeded to sell the coal from
our mines, as we'll as the coal purchased
from the private operators, at the circular
prices, which were fixed at SO cents per ton
only above the prices prevailing before the
strike. The individual operators, however,
protested strongly against this, holding that
the agents were bound to sell their coal at
the best obtainable prices, and after con-
sultng counsel 1t was concluded that their
demands would have to be acceded to.
Heretofore there has been no distinction
that the public knew of between the coal
mined by the company and that mined by
individuals, but now that the coal from
the mines which this company controls Is
being sold at the circular prices and the
coal of the private operators who ship over
our lines Is being sold at the best price
that can be obtained the distinction is
drawn, and this accounts for the apparent
increase in the proportion OF coal shipped
by private operators.
Coal Shortage Explained.
SIT is very easy to account for the short
age in the anthracite, coal supply. The
strike. lasting nearly six months, caused a
falling off in the output, of some 24.O00, 600
tons. The out2ut .dunitlg the winter months
has never been suh7cieaity to supply current
demands. the deficiency being made up from
stocks accumulated during the summer. but
| this winter began, with "a bsolutely no stocks
on hand either at shipping places OF In coal
yards or in private cellars and while more
coal has been mined and shipped since
active operations were resumed than ever
before during like period 1t has not been
sufficient to supply the demand, nor has It
been possible to supply enough bituminous
coal to make up the deficiency in anthra-
cite. A much larger amount of bituminous
coal was moved over all the railroads of
the country during the past year than ever
before, the bituminous tonnage of the Penn
sylyan:a railroad alone on its lines east of
Pittsburg being 100000 tons greater than
that of the previous year. but the increased
output Of bituminous was nearly all abb
sorbed by the regular demands caused by
. the activity of the Industries using that
fuel. so that there was but little left to sup
ply the deficiency in anthracits.
/. while the coal-carrying railroads gen.
orally are making every possible effort to
increase the movement, l regret to say that
l do not think the present conditions will
improve much for several mon .ns to come
So far as this company is concerned, no eff
| will ha mod nd IN
have been in force for some time past to
give preference to coal shipments over all
others. both In the supply of cars and in the
movement"
Letter From President Baer.
President Baer OF the Reading road has
also written to the committee saying that
since the resumption of mining 1t had 1ot