The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-15
ON PRICES AND TRUSTS.

the only paper that did so. The other
papers considered ii, apparently, a poll
tical question. and evidently concluded
that for them to "takc Sides on 1T
might lose votes, Therefore they were
silent Now, after election. the special
organ of trusts and combines. the de
fender Of the trust fostering tariff
law, the Smoot organ, with utter incon-
sistcncy. is making u yell for Feduc-
tion in the price of coal. For what are
combines made if not to advance
priccso
Bnt the time to protest against the
raise in the price of coal was at the
time the raise was made. The Tribune
made that protest It found no echo
in the opposition, that opposition sp-
parentIy considering the matter danger
Gus to mention. The Tribune did not
look upon it in that light at all, but
as sn economic question. and it so ex-
pressed itself. All the Same time VIC
are bound 10 say now, as we did before,
that the tendency OF latter-d day Repub
| llcanism is III support of trusts. com
blnes. and the raising of prices on the
necessities of life. The bunko tariff
law is expressly framed in the interests
of high prices, of combinations and of
selfish greed and monopoly. The ad
mnistration through IFS withdrawing
Of coal lands from entry. absolutely con
firms and supports the established mon
opolies. and prevents any interference
with them. For, since the people can
| not take up coal lands, thcv ucccssari-
| ly have to buy their coal from the pres
ent monopolies, which have already alb
| sorbed all of the coal lands available
| Huge tracts of coal lands were prac-
tlcally given to one of tho monopolics
| by the Government, in tho so-caled
"compromse - that ended the coal
lands fraud litigation. the only
possible way TO break the hold of
the monopolies would be to re-
lease the land to public entry, SO that
companies could be formed with view
TO supplying the coal at reduced rates
This, however, the administration will
not permit and so, after all, il is III
way political question, and the blame
for the raise in the price of coal, while
not directly chargeable to the admins.
tration, is certainly chargcablc to the
policies adopted and enforced by that
administration And no one -~ho sup.
ports that policy can consistently OBJ
lcct TO the way it operates.
Under the law the railroads are for.
hidden to own coal and to deal in it
all they can do is to transport il for
the companies that mine aud sell it,
Most of these companies, Of course,
Those that arc not must agree TO main
| tain the price that the combination
fixes, or their business will be at the
hazard of transportation system
which IS bound up with the interests
of the combined coal companies. and in
maintaining the prices fixed. The re-
suit which we see is precisely that
which would be anticipated on the
statement of The case There is from
time to time a raise in the price of
coal, and the public is helpless against
it. All must pay the price or do with
out coal; because there is no coal to
be had outside of the supply combina-
tion.
Many years ago in this city lump
coal could be had in plenty for 81 30
per ton After a while the price was
raised to $1.75 and $500; then to 1926,
$3.50. S5.75, and now to $6.25 per ton,
in successive elevating boosts. The
|
evil. The price bas5bcen raised exactly
$I00 pcr ton, or from 1926 to S6.25.
since the conservation rage set in. This
is tho natural result OF that policy
which withdraws from the use Of the
present generation the resources that
abound in the vicinity. II would be
profitable to sell coal here for $4 90
per ton if free competition could be
established. There is an illimitablc sup
ply Of coal near by, that ought TO be
available for the people. There is
plenty of railroad transportation, and
full wages and fair prices for transpor-
tation would be met at $500 per ton.
But with the fictitious propositions that
large profits must be made, large sal
az IS paid. and that enough money must
he put by as compensation fund 10
make the mine good for what been
taken out Of it, so that when the mine
is exhausted there will be the money
on band that It's original value rep
resented; when all this is added togeth-
er, it is easy to see how prices can be
inflated when there is no possibility of
competition, no chance for the free
operation of the law of supply and de-
mand; when, IN fact. the public is in
the tight grip of monopoly which is
clinched/ by federal restrictions and
limitations i'll such a way as TO abso"
lutely forbid all competition
1t comes with a poor grace from those
who are the defenders of this sort Of
combination and law established trust
and monopoly to raise Il roar against
the inevitable results of their own
party S policies. They work to build