The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-30
they DO COMPETE, BAER SAYS.
cg.s0E THAT RAILROADS KEEP
rolL PRICES HIGH is A LIE.

t.AI
CosI Market ss II Does All Others
INT You can't Increase tho Cost Of
produotieu and Keep Prices Down
-Nore Testimony by Reading's Prcsi.
a.n,-Ue Won't Show Temple Contraets
George F. Baer. president OF the Reading
c.mnany and Of the Central Railroad OF
Nv Jersey, testifying before the Inter-
- Commerce Commission yesterday,
s.ronsd a. a falsehood the charge that
,So coal companies and the coal-carrying
threads ever entered into an agreement
20 a. the price at which coal should be sold
n mi. or any other city or to regulate the
output Of coal from the various oollieries
controlled by them.
Mr. Baer asserted most emphatically
that there is keen competition among the
coal companies and the coal railroads to-day,
and always has been. and that as result OF
This competition the price Of coal has been
rent down TO a point where 1t was impossible
tor the companies to make any money.
The plain statements on this point and
other testimony given by Mr.. Baer during
The afternoon were an answer to the con-
,entions OF the petitioners counsel that
,he prics OF coal Is arbitrarily hxed by the
coal roads, acting with the coal companies.
and that an illegal combination Of all Of
these companies exists for the purpose Of
robbing the public.
Mr. Baer kept his temper pretty well
under great provooation, although once.
when Clarence J. Shearn. attorney for the
petitioner, asked him II his refusal to answer
A question he had been advised by his
hoa ha
fear OF discriminating himself, he told Shearn
that the question was insolent and one
which no gentleman would AJAX. Mr..
shearn tried to have Mr.. Baer rebuked for
this. but the commission was unanimous
in rebuking Mr.. Shsarn instead for asking
such question.
Ex-Gov Budd OF California was intro
duced a. associate counsel for the petitioner
BY Mr.. Shearn at the opening Of the pro-
seedlings. Mr.. Baer was then called. After
correcting several minor points in his testi-
mony Of last week he was asked to tell what
proportion Of the coal mine In the anthra-
cite region was mined by independent
operators. He said:
COMPANIES NINE oNE-NISTH OF COAL OUTPUT.
The proportion Is about !, oo0. 900 tons out
Of 1000, 600 We buy from 900. 900 to 1 100. 600
tons . year outside OF what we mine our
tsnsnts Of ours: the other quarter By operators
not mining In our lands, There fs some other
coal mined along our lines which We do not
buy. but how much Is cannot say without
spoke at The The last hssri1 i, q gentle
respondent oomDaniesf A. 1 decline to give
% Was p Morsan ono Of themf A. He
was not. III answer that much. but no more.
There Is no use in your tr yinG to get the names
RON O. Rt arst didn't III. projsot for q general
sales depot meet with your approval! A.
No. sir. Il did not.
OPPOSED CENTRAL SALES rEPoT.
Mr.. Shearp went exhaustively into the
simpson q Watkins purchase. trying to
show that It was the result OF Joint agree
psnies, WITH Mr.. Baer at the head: Mr.
Baer emphatically denied this. With a
smile, he added that the matter OF the pur-
chase contract was all arranged here in
New York before he was called into tho
matter ~ all.
= sIr shearn.w..n.t one element IN this this
su sno Thing va. never cons Al ali a.
mss did this central sales depot scheme com.
up'. A. II was during the proceedines.
held IL up ana heln II up. ~ Eas not coca
AGAINST e. %y'ss S :.sd ss s'is shss
psss % &. co nd
pany ! did away with the selling Of coal by
commission merchants and have ever
Ss ;Ss ssn .Ssh Of assGnsy
es ssS SSs e: ::,S ;S.s g
Of agents e dsrsnt .DD Sanss al Sysr sss
commissions amounted 70.
WIT COAL PRICES INcRHAsE.
Q. But With all this reduction i9 The e:
psn:S you Ssrs NOT Teu SoS
.Sitastns. IN Increasing our expenses % OtheI
STSsl %ss.s W. hsy. 0 had to meet epdes,
trouble and . consequent cutting OF ou'
NJ shesrn-I am glad you give Us credit
Mr. Basr-i think you ere partially entitled
10 IT,
Mr.. Baer expressed surprise that any one
70 preserve their traffic. He thought II
was . very natural thing for them to dc
and said they would 90 on doing II.
BOW OVER TEMPLE PURCHASE coNTRAcTs
Then the old dispute over the production
Of the contracts between the Temple Iror
Company and the purchasing companies
arose again. The petitioner has copies OF
all these contracts. but wants the originals
He says they will chow the combination
that was entered into by the coal roads
The Guaranty Trust Company. which
holds the contracts. was ordered last weeh
by the commission TO produce them.
refused. Mr.. Baer was asked to produces
them yesterday. He said he would moi
unless ordered to by the commission.
Mr. shearn- You could produce them Il
YOU wanted to. couldn't you? A. ] have M
answer to make save that i will not produc'
them unless ordered to.
Mr. Shearn asked the commission u
order Mr.. Baer to produce the contracts
Mr.. Baer was laughing.
Its no laughing matter, said ex-Sov
Budd. The commission ordered MI. bae
TO produce the contracts, whereupon ex
Judge Campbell. the Reading attorney
arose and advised Mr.. Baer TO disregart
the order Of the commiseion. Attorney
for the Lackawanna and the Erie also aroe'
and gave Mr.. Baer the same advice. MI
Baer said calmly:
BY instruction Of counsel decline u
produce these contracts.'
BAEH CALLS sHEARN rNsoLEST
Mr.. Shearn--Do you decline. 70 produc'
them because they tend 70 incriminate you
IL il an nsolent one. I want to say tn yo'
iight now that there u nothing In any con
naot ever made or had hand ~ maktni
that would ncriminate me or justify sucn
PROCLAMATION as your client made over Nv
Signature the other day ip hts attemm