The evening world., 1903-04-30
President Of the Reading Fur
therDescribes His Power Over
Coal Situation Before Inter-
state Commerce Commission.
NO COMBINE, HE INSISTS.
Declares that a Healthy Competition
Exists Between the Companies
and that There Has Been No
Percentage Basis Since 1900.

The examination of George r. Baer.
President Of the Reading Railroad sys-
TEN. was continued to-day before the
interstate Commerce Commission in room
70 of the Federal Building. The hearing
Is on a complaint that the coal carrying
roads are operating in the anthracite
regions in violation OF the antitrust
law. AT former sessions he testified in
answer to questions OF Clarence ].
6hearn. counsel for complainant, that he
has control Of the coal situation. but
denied any combination to fix prices or
restrict output. Before leaving the stand
last evening he announced his intention
OF forcing coal from its tidewater price
Of $3.50 a ton to s.. At $3.50 a ton, Mr..
Baer said, the coal carrying companies
only pay expenses after giving the min
ing companies the 65 per cent. agreed to
in their contracts Of the price at tide
water.
Mr.. Shearn's first question to-day re-
lated to Mr.. Baer's statement that he
hoped to raise the price of ooal during
the coming months.
Must Pay Prevailing Price.
w deliver all the coal we can mine
a. speedily as we cam" Mr.. Baer said.
at is paid for at the rate prevailing
when 1t is delivered"
Q. But you have the power to restrict
the OUTPUT OF anthracite o IL you
choose to do so? A. If the Reading
Coal and Iron Company desired to for
get its obligations to the public and to
It's stockholders 1t could, OF course.
shut down all Its mines and stop its
trains from carrying the coal from
other mines.
."Have you uch power?" Commits
sioner Prouty asked.
las the executive officer Of the COM
many | have"
wanna in February carried more coal
than the Reading SYSTEM.
u. Well. IL YOU found that the Read
ing earned more tnan % per cent. one
lowing month to make 1t even? A. Not
at ali. We should go right on mining
n carrying all the coal We could sell.
ceniase basis since November, 1900.
''If moro coal was mined?' asked Com
missioner, Clements, could It be sod
cheaper"
mot to make a profit for the mines
ceeeds the demand the price must fall
or the coal be held in storag until a re-
muIcIdllNC lSc ~ ASdNilco
ut IL utterly impossible to reduce our
rates without bankrupting our company.
We have been able to pay only Z per
cent on SIS .0OO. 1000 Of stock out OF 10000,
BOO, and last year we paid on.y l per cent.
The summit OF our hopes is to pay 4
per cent. on the total. and In thirty years
Of effort We have not been able to reach
that figure. | do not see that the COM
munity will he any better on II our sys-
tenn Is forced into bankruptcy"
Opposes Observation-Disclosures.
''But suppose the road is o~ver-capital-
.'Then II ought to 20 bankrupt. There
10 nothing I hold, in greater abhorrence
than the Decentralization Of Industrial
enterprises. In all my business expert
ences OF three score years | have never
been associated with n such enter
He repeated his former statement that
New DIRK City is OF the world and that
miners 10 not look upon the New York
market. ss the most desirable output
unrest" Mr.. Baer saI1, " is TO get sew
eral million tons o. coal of all sizes
stored so that should a calamity
threaten again we shall De prepared for
II and the public shall not suffer. Il
hold 1t poor policy for the coal COM
panies to put all their coal on the mar
ket at a loss to avoid the expense OF
storage, in G The Reading Company has
Mr.. Baer had an engagement and left
the .st,nd before his examination was
finished,