New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-27
neuartment of Justice lnStruCts
United States Attorney in Phil
adeIphia to Begin lnveSti-
cation of Prices.
EXPECT PROBE TO SPREAD
nnerators and Consumers Look
To- day with Anxiety for Su-
preme Courts Ruling on
Setback to Governments
Suit in Circuit Court.

The Tribune'S exposure of the cXtOr-
tion proposed by the coal operators has
horne fruit in an investigation ordered
nv the Attorney General of the United
states. The first step i'm this invcstisa-
tion will be taken by the United States
Attorney in Philadelphia, who, pursuant
10 the Instructions of the Department Of
Justice. will begin the probe in that city.
II is expected that the investigation of
the facts brought out by The Tribune
will be pursued in various quarters, and
II is urobable that the United States At
tornev i'm New York will be ordered TO
conduct like investigation in the near
future.
The divinely anointed anthracite opera
tors as we'll as the humble New York
consumer are looking anXiously TO-DAY
for the decision of the Supreme Court o;
the United States on the government ;
coal trust suit. The operators. Of course
want 10 see the Supreme Court uphold
the Circuit Courts decision against The
government The consumer, too, has ms
hopes. The decision, however. maJ be
deferred 10 next Monday or until next
fall
The two agencies possessed by the pub
lie through which to fight the anthra-
cite MONOPOLY are the Attorney General
Office and the Interstate Commerce Com
mission Both have been invoked, AMI
Vet such is the appetite of the Goa
barons for melons that they have
snapped their fingers in the face OF I'M
pending retribution and have declareI
their intention 10 exact an additional
se nno coo proft from an oppressed peo-
pie.
The Tribune printed a dispatch from
Washington yesterday morning announc
ing that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission had ordered the Lehigh Vale
Railroad to pay 10 Meeker & Co. an IN
denendent coal operating firm, Sloel3.
with interest, aggregating S1.526- The
commission makes the award IN repare
1ion 70 the independent operator Tor uh
lust rates on anthracite between IH'
northern anthracite feld near Scranton
and tidewater at Perth Amboy
Reparation EIcee5S SooCUu'
The so-caled Neel:er case mas 'ee'
Vending before the commission III Val
Gus forms for many years. The assIe.
gate amount Of reparation so far granted
against various anthracite lines exceeds
$50 700.
Sill another method of attack against
,hA combination which owns practically
outright the entire supply OF TINS com
rounitv's staple article Of diet IS lnul
Gated in the last issue Of The BACK
Diamond" a coal trade journal ms
periodical says that the coal bu! ers OF
the nation. 10 avoid paying h'she'
rrices. purpose to wait before closing
their contracts until all the mines are III
full operation once more, and then Wheh
the mine owners are hungry for tonnage
10 make an assault upon the market ana
beat down prices II is the opinion oi
the editor. however, that any such plan
IA doomed to failure.
The rulings Of the Interstate COM
nerce Commission are what the clenl
opulent anthracite railroads fear mos
for it is I'm their freight rates on coal
that they hide the enormous prohts th'F
reap from their anthracite monopoN.
The Tribune has already pointed out
that it costs 60 cents 10 haul ton "'
anthracite from the southern or most
distant anthracite field to New YORK
Harbor. and that the actual rates to .a2
upper ports are 81 60 and to the lower
81 81. whether the coal comes from the
Northern. Middle or Southern fields.
The railroad has two objects in charg-
ing these cxorbtant rates on coal,
which. 90 all intents and purposes, IT has
mined itself 1t can show. as the Phi'a-
delphia & Reading Railway has at
tempted 10, that the profits from the
actual operation Of mining the coal are
meagre-that is, by taking money out of
the operating pocket and putting it int"
the transportation pocket, and rivctins
the attention Of the public on the for
mer it can plead necessity for raising
the price of coal.
Can Force Sale at Loss.