New-York tribune., 1912-05-30
PROBE HERE TO BE DEEP
Merchants Association Outlines
It's Plan of Campaign.

ltS fldn OF campaign.
Congratulations poured into the Offices Of
the Merchants Association yesterday. Both
members and strangers. all fellow sufferers
from the rapacity Of the anthracite COM
bination. expressed their delight that so
powerful and conservative an organization
had determined to sift the arbitrary ad-
vance in coal prices to the bottom
Henry r. ToNne president of the asso-
citation, said last night that the invesuGa-
ton would ne a thorough one; that it would
he fair 10 the public. which had right 10
know exactly why it had TO pay this ad-
vance and 10 the operators.
We propose to find out exactly Why
this advance was arbitrarily decided on by
the operators without warning. he con
tinued Up to the present time no one
seems to have taken up the cudgels for
the public when coal was arbitrarily ad-
vanced This is matter in which the
public should have a voice. We shall be
fair to both sides.
We are not going into this matter i'm.
pulsively. hut in the interests Of the com
munitv on behalf of the companies some
plausible excuses were made. which do not
wish to discuss now. These excuses may be
prove 10 be illogical and misleading. W.
shall give the operators the benefit in the
Investigation Of any really we'll srounde';
excuse or anything that appears in their
favor. bat the public ought to he shown
satisfactory reasons why they have 10 pay
such large advance in the price Of coal
The Merchants Associations programme
is comprehensive. As in the case Of the eX-
press companies. whose business methods
are being revolutionized as a result Of its
complaint 10 the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. the Investigators intend 10 hnd out
not only what justification the anthracite
trust has for raising present prices Of do
mestic sizes but what justification It had
for raising the price Of these sizes 50 cents
q ton in 1000 and again in 1902 and for
raising the price of chestnut coal % cents
ton in 1909.
Chestnut coal. by the way. is the par
ticular size of anthracite most popular
with the poor man, who burns 1t in his
kitchen range and in the stove which
keeps him warm n winter. IT is the coal
which the farmers throughout the East
buy. For no other reason than that the
demand for il proved. greater than for the
other prepared sizes did the anthracite
harons decide that il must stand an extra
tax They did not have then the excuse
Of A wage increase. Now that they have
that excuse they are adding on another
25.cent increase to chestnut the moor
mans coal maxine a., s6,arca of 5o carte
q ton in This e,,o si,,a ,oo5 and 20 :, "a
o ~, ei,ro 1,qo
Tia 5-.oo,.e-o-.,,, -5..o.,oo o,, ,-,...,.
si7as ,,.,,,,,r.1l,.' A. r,.ra la. ,., =.
enec. for several do,.s dasIare ga vs..
terds, Tho, ovnlairod this &C a,,. 80 ,ho
,r,noesibili,,. of 6l,ir,, ordor. 80. I,,..
ovc,rg - tho t,,.,. ,,,,,,,,,s, ..,,a,,..a,. :.
,e M, a.. Dat, ,.c l..,3o. =, ,a.... 49,.
+b,, or 6o1i,...,. ,,.,,,.t 4o,..,,,i...
-, .o,. ,,,l. 80,
-. ..-,,,,,o 49,. ,,-. '''' ~
P.L'r
"e '""N ''>'''"' ~ '' cents ION ioi
i'S''H'', a. ~ "ei"O''' tiIS year from the
new h.sh level Of prices established by the
trust. viii obtain only on anthracite deliv.
o,.1 -, 1,.,,c ,.b...,.t.. -, =. 49,,
" an. '', avn, ~ '4"'i'u III june
ana "HlNoicd N july VIII benefit 10y the
july discount Of 2b cents. Will cost that is
a. ..- .-.. . 49,. . , >,