Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-02-16
StrangIes Competition by
Independent Concerns.
IN SEVERAL STATES
Railroad Companies Acquired Control
of Soft Coal Mines and Regu-
late Output and Prices.

Washington, Feb. 14.-Representa-
tive Gillespie (TeXas) made two un-
successful attempts in the house yes
terday to obtain consent to have in
cluded in the house record a letter
from the Bituminous Coal Trades
League of Pennsylvania, denouncing
the alleged combination of coal carry
ing railroads to control and regulate
the output of coal in the United States.
Both times Representative Payne IN.
", the republican floor leader, OBJ
jected and Mr.. Gillespie abandoned
the effort.
The letter which is referred to as a
petition for relief was prepared by
Frank c. Drane, secretary to the
Bituminous Coal Trades League of
Pennsylvania. Mr.. Drane says it is
unfortunately true that not one of his
associates in the league would be able
to give sworn testimony before any in
vestigating committee of congress, as
1--WE have never been able to get evil
dence sufficiently strong to enter suit
at law, nor have we been able to get
the independent operators united so as
to test the Elkins law, many fearing
the consequences the Pennsylvania
railroad officials know so well how to
infiict upon operators who dare to
openly complain"
He recites the grievances to which
the independent operators are subject
ed through alleged discrimination,
particularly the soft coal operators in
Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and
West Virginia, and says the independ-
ents are helpless. The letter asserts
that the Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
has established rules that only certain
markets can be supplied by one re-
gion, and that the private cars of the
soft coal trust have unlimited choice
| of market to ship coal in.
The Independent operator, the letter
continues, has to see his mines idle
for weeks for want of cars and his ia
Dor moves to other districts in search
of steadier work. Thus, he adds, -four
ishing towns have been abandoned by
business people to follow the mine
worker to the buster region.
He charges that the soft coal trust
always fixes a price which gives the
trusts and the roads hauling coal to
market an excess profit over and
dpoNC lhc piiSS thS opCi-
ator can get; that the hard coal rail-
roads are all common carriers and
miners and shippers of their own an
thracite product; that the railroads
pool and regulate the price of hard
coal by selling it direct to the dealer
to be sold to the consumer at prices
fixed by the railroads.
The letter alleges that the hard coal
trust and the soft coal trust own OF
control all the fields in Pennsylvania
and Maryland except perhaps a few
small tracts operated by individuals
on a rent or royalty basis. 1t asserts
that, allied with the Pennsylvania
stands first the Fairmont Gas Goa
Mining Co., shipping mostly over the
Baltimore & Ohio; and that allied with
and shipping only over the Pennsylva.
MIA are five big companies alleged tc
compose the soft coal trust of Penn
sylvania. "The Pennsylvania rail
road" the letter alleges, towns, con
trolls or favors these five companies t.
the exclusion of almost every other in
dividual or company operating bitum
nous coal in Pennsylvania" excep
two companies, the Beech Creek Goa
and Coke Co. and the Rochester ant
Pittsburg Coal and Iron Co., which
the letter claims are largely owned b,
the Vanderbilts.