New-York tribune., 1912-11-22
DIGS OUT COAL COSTS
StatiStiCian Figures the Exact
Freight Rate a Ton a Mile.
SHORTER HAULS PAY MORE
Bells Says Roads Charge Less
to Garry Coal to Boston
than to Philadelphia.
rBy Telegraph 70 Tho Trihun. J


Philadelphia, Nov. 2l.-After three days
efforts the State Railroad Commission
gave UP to-day its attempt 10 get from
officials OF the Reading Company and the
Reading Railroad Company any definite
facts 10 show how the alleged excessive
freight rates on anthracite we're fixed.
and especially what II cost the companies
TO transport coal The officials had in
sisted that II was absolutely impossible
to find the exact cost Of carrying coal or
any other particular class OF freight
Having failed with the companies. the
business organizations whose complaint
81 excessive freight charges on coal is
being Investigated by the commission
called their own expert to-day. and from
him the commission learned what the
railroad officials had declared could not
be figured out. This witness was Harry
p. Bells a statisticisn. who has long
been regarded as one Of the leading au-
thorities in the country on freight rates
and how 20 make them.
Mr. BELLS presented a mass OF official
reports. rate and mileage tables and
other data From these he deduced that
the Reading Company, by the acquisition
of Jersey Central interests, controlled
more than 81 per cent of the unmined
anthracite coal In Pennsylvania. From
the Readings annual report he figured a
ratio of coal mined TO the total freight
of All per cent
Finally taking up the actual cost Of
CARRYING coal. Mr. BELLS testified as an
expert that the average rate ton mile
on prepared sizes of anthracite was l5h
mills on a l0S-mile haul, with allowances
for terminals according to "The Railway
Guide" He read from the Pennsylvania
tariffs to show that the rate per ton per
mile on the Pennsylvania Railroad was,
for 113 miles, Is mills on prepared sizes;
on pea coal, 1877 mills; on buckwheat, l22
Mr.. BELLS asserted that from East Penn
Junction to Philadelphia over the Read
ing the tariff on prepared sizes was. for
the sixty-seven miles. 81 05; that the
through rate from ten points In the Le-
high Valley district to Philadelphia was
81 81 on prepared sizes, OF which the Read
ing got the bulk OF the charge and tho
Iehigh Valley the rest. He declared the
rate a ton q mile on the Reading for pre-
pared sizes was 1873 mills, and in proper
tion for other sizes, and that the Lehgh
Valleys proportion was 1872 per train mile;
also that the railroad yard at East Penn
Junction was a joint one, operated by
both the Lehigh Valley and the Reading.
Mr. BELLS testified that although coal
cost 10 Philadelphia is complained Of as
high, the Reading gave lower rate at
Port Richmond. II the coal was trans
sbipped there for export. He said that
poston. for instance, could get coal at a
q eo freight rate, whereas Philadelphia
had 10 nav 81 10 for coal laid down here.
The pennsylvania Railroad. Mr., Bells
daclared. carried bituminous coal long dis
,snces over mountain ranges for small
nor, NJ the freight rate II charges for
a,thracite TO Philadelphia from the Penn
sylvania coal fields
Mr. Bellis asserted that the railroad
hondIed b,tuminus 334 miles at a rate OF
6 25.,OD mills a mile. but II cost l5i2 mills
nile IN bring anthracite here for COM
naratiyely short distance. One haul or
h,,uninous over the Chesapeake 4 Ohio
uas as long as 673 miles, alta cheaper
rate than Philadelphia pays on anthra-
cite for a distance a little over 100 miles.
Resides. he testified that the Pennsyl-
vania hauled bitumnous from the Clear
field district, distance OF 27s miles, for
81 90 a ton, or 1-l0 mills ton train
mile. The New York Central hauled coal
for transshipment 323 miles for 81 ga
b4s rate. The anthracite rate TO this city