The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-30
WILL AGAIN q RAISE PRICE Baer Intends to Put Up
 Coal Rate. SAYS HE HAS THE POWER Readings President Before Commerce Commission. Es Tells the Attorney for w. R. Hearst That He is Insolsnt,
 and the Court Declines to
 Rebuke Him
SAYS HE HAS THE POWER


 New York. April 2s.-President George F. Baer was again today a witness before the Interstate Commerce Commission in it's investigation into the complaint of William R. Hearst against the coal car Sying roads. MT. Baer estimated that s.500.p00 tons of coal is carried annually .,.-bv fiie Reading System. J. P. Morgan. She saij. was not one of the men inter sted Ia the Simpson and Watkins pro- ed t2 asaplish big general sales de- .ot ,t lthracite coal. He declined to ole ,.ao- he Aames of those who were so ipter ssted. ;. E. 5aer said he promoted the plan to bl5a lass the Temple Iron Company and tsar slx railroads were interested. He g4sgeatea the per centage of the different eempaos and their directors accepted it. S1- a.shl said, was not so broad as to ,ra Aathe emple Iron Company the sales :apt os +ie. six companies in New York. br ft " intended to get rid of the com IaissfJ - L. .... Ills iS MT. Baer said, was not to fraAlstais | uniform price for coal at tide- patfr ..ut to get rid of the commission of 1a cents ton for selling coal He had
 
 But you have not succeeded in reduc- ing the price of coal to the consumer D said counsel.
 Profits are Less.
 ''No.' replied Mir. Baer, because you and your friends have succeeded in rais- ing wages and getting up the cost of ne- cessities so that profits are less"
 Mr. Baer said he could produce the con tracts between the Temple Iron Company and the railroads. Counsel for. the roads objected and he declined to produce them. .".Is there anything in these contraets. l" Mr.. Shearn asked, that would degrade or incrininate your ....sss .I decline to answer that qusstion be- cause it is insolent. There fs nothing in any contract have ever made that rrakes me the criminal your client pub lished me as being and he cannot come into court and insult me. You are not a gentleman or you would not insult me" f'I ask the court to rebuke the witness said MT. Shearn. turning to the Comnnis- sion.
 The Commission declined to rebuke MT. Baer.
 He refused to answer a question wheth- CT. the Temple Iron Company has paid the Philadelphia and Reading Company i2 i-2c a ton for all coal shipped by it since April 10, 1899. T do say this emphaticaly." declared Mir Baer there has been no pool and no combine to regulate the price or output Of coal between the railroad presidents since I have been president of the Read ing System"
 The Hanna Settlement.
 Ft, srsa rn read to the witness a re- -pYt the teafia' my he gave after the srikas af Ieoa VI he explained that the ~vfSrnt agree. ent between the rail ~-- . i"c.. panies was the result -. -or 5aaI. appeal that a con-
 .es r tfs- ke meant danger to t.. ia,yy -Roqsev, 1t ticket. MT. Baer said It was true. The price of coal sold by the Philadelphia and Reading Com pany, he said. was fixed after general consuitation with the general coal agents and sales agents. The other companies pursued a like course. He added:
 .'I thought we were the strongest peo- ,uie. and I nxed the price and kept the other dealers 10 the same. They accused me of being arbitrary. and I admit that perhaps I was arbitrary but felt that 1t was necessary. After the strike several companies complained that they could get a better price than I had fixed for the Reading Company's coal. They asked me to raise the price. but refused and they had to come down to our price"
 
 raised 50 cents a ton because the cost of production had been increased.
 The Pee@ing System was not earning fa'. -tvid ends because of the low price ~iu-sG en it's coal. There was. he said, ID 7sh frz 7s in the United States with so re4of bus ness and made so little profit. Yaked the men were locked out of .ss s're, he said:
 T refuse to work unless we give
 NA NAw. hours work, and we are not going to do But you have fixed the rate at M.5O R ten7"
 Will Raise the Rate. , "Yes, and on May am going to ad- vance the price 10 cents and try to work 1t up to S5. That will be a fair price and will give us profit. If cannot get the price I'll have to come down. If the mar ket will not take 1t at s the price will be reduced"
 Mir, Baer said he believed he could con trol the coal market. He said he could have consulted any of the other coal men but he did not fear that if he asked S5 a ton the other companies would ask any less. They would be foolish if they did, he said.
 "And yet you say there Is competition in the business?' Mir. Shearn asked.
 ''Of course there Is no fair and square competition" Mir. Baer replied. "It is not necessary that the competing mer- chants should cut each others throats. " DO the railroads actually compete for business in the coal regions2'
 ''In the sense of building lines to the collieries they would compete. In the sense of upderseiling each other they dc not. I do not believe in trying to take business where the action must entail a loss on an existing company without any certainty of profit to the new conner. If there is a new business suppose we will all compete for it."
 "Is there any agreement among the railroads to keep out of each others way In the coal regions?'
 Mir. Baer said he knew of no such agreement.
 Further examination of Mir. Baer was Do0tponed. t