The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-09
COAL INVESTIGATION
AND HEARING is
RESUMED
Representatives of the An
thracite Carrying Roads
Testify Before the Inter-
state Commerce Commits
sion - Operators Claim
Dealer Can Get Higher
Prices for Coal.

NEW YORK, June 8.-The interstate
commerce commission returned to New
York today to continue the investiga
ton into the complaint that the COAL
carrying railroads have violated and
are violating the anti-pooling section of
the Sherman antitrust law.
Robert NJ. ELEPHANT, former presi-
dent of the Delaware & Hudson, one
of the respondent railroads, was the
first witness. He corroborated the
statements of the other coal men. who
have testified that the price of coat to
the public is to be raised 10 cents u
ton month until a maximum increase
of so cents a ton is reached. He was
not prepared to say that the increased
cost of production would not exceed 80
cents.
Mr.. ELEPHANT said he doubted if his
company was making any profit when
coal was selling in New York at 81
or less. For the last ten years the
profits of the company had been about
10 per cent. His company increased
the price because exigencies of the
trade justified the demand.
I'VE could get a higher price if We
asked for it," he said.
1t was out of Difference to the needs
of the public, the witness said, that
the price of company coal was kept at
S. just after the strike, when the IN
dependent operators were getting IS
and $40.
Adelbert Moot, counsel for the Erie
system, protested that the commission
has no jurisdiction in any matter that
concerns the price of coal. The COM
hot
the prices realized for a product to
arrive at the reasonableness or unrea-
sonableness of the freight rates.
Mr.. Moot argued that as the Della
ware & Hudson handled no coal but
from it's own mines, neither the COM
mission nor congress had any author
ity to investigate its prices. The
commission overruled the objections.
w. w. RuIet, the special satistician
of the anthracite coal region, present
ed a long report.
G. F. Brownell, counsel for the Sus-
Quehanna & Western, cross examined
Mr.. Rulet on his report to show the
variation in the price of some grades
of coal sold by the defendant COM
panies.
Samuel T. Peters, of Williams & Pc
tiers, sales agents for the coal inter-
ests of the Erie systems, was recalled
and explained the variation in prices
shown by saying that sometimes it was
necessary or polite to make a special
price to a special consumer. He de-
clared that the demand for coal is so
great today that the dealers could get
Sc and 81 a ton if they demanded it.
M. S. Kammerer, of M. S. Kammerer
& Co., dealers in coal and iron, of the
Luzerne district, the next Witness has
on ont I,N
trail railroad for transportation. The
rates, he said, on coal, approximate Is
per cent of the tideWater price of the
product.
After a long argument between the
counsel, the commission ruled in favor
of Mr.. Shearn's contention that the
coal purchase contracts are admissible
as evidence. The. commission decided
that the only point before the United
States circuit court is, can witnesses
be compelled to submit their contracts
to the commission.
AS soon as the ruling was announced
Mr.. Shearn read from the contract be-
tween K. & J. J. Jermyn and the Sus-
quehanna Coal company made on Nov.
l, 1900. By that contract the Jermyns
agreed to sell the entire products of
their mines to the Susquehanna &
Western Coal company at certain
prices ranging from so per cent of the
tidewater price realized for pea coal
to So per cent realized from stove and
chestnut coal. A ton of coal under the
contract means 2,240 pounds and an al
lowance of 1 per cent is made by the
seller for Wastage.
A clause to the contract says if the
price at tidewater shall be less than
$3.50 per ton for sizes greater than
pea coal, the mine operators have a
right to close their mines.
Judge Campbell, the legal represen-
tative of the Reading system. declared
his clients ready to concede that the
price of coal is about SIS a ton and
that the price will increase until $3.50
is reached.