The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-10-09
|ll|]EFENS|BLE
IS THE ACTION
| OF RAILROADS.
In Raising the Rates on Coal
Shipments from This State
toaQther Points.
Cay G. 6. MeIntosIl !


HUNTINGTON, Oct. s-The more
that the subject OF rates is consider
ca, the more apparent 1T becomes
that the railroads are in an. indes
fenstble position and likewise that
the enforcement Of their plans will
work irreparable injury to- the, coal
business.
In past years the railroads of the
state have urged with great insist
ency that the coal prod ucers should
enlarge their production in order
that their tonnage might be In
creased and the revenues of the car
riers multiplied accordingly.
Necessarily. so far as. the high
volatile producers are concerned. If
new markets shall be developed 1t
must be in the. North and West.
Practically the entire tonnage Of
that character OF coal is moved into
the territory in which, the roads now
proposed to increase their rates.
The coal sent to. these markets
Is brought into direct competition
with the product Of Pennsylvania.
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. All OF
these states, aside from being, coal
producers are coal; users. Not TO
exceed two to three per cent of the
coal produced in West: Virginia Is
marketed in this state. Therefore.
if West Virginia coal is sold at all,
1t must be moved to states that are,
themselves, producers.
This fact counts. for, the circrr-
stance that Pennsylvania coal lands
have u value of from one to three
thousand dollars per acre. In West
Virginia, coal values. with only few
exceptions, never go beyond two
hundred dollars per acre. For. the
greater part the value, Of developed
lands is much beneath that figure.
.Pittsburg coal has .. home market
that cannot be tUIched by any other
field, and. Therefore, has ony to ex-
port its surplus product. Even I'M
der existing conditions 1t is difficult
for West Virginia operators to COM
pete with those of Pennsylvania and
Ohio, Any increase in the freight
,diferential, whatsoever. would make
competition impossible.
OF this fact the railroads must be
cognizant. II not SO, at. first, they
are now fully advised; the informa-
ton rendered them having been
abundantly supported by iucontro-
yertible facts and figures.
Pittsburg coal was, estab lished in
the lake and Ohio markets many
years ago. In the minds OF. many
consumers Pittsburg coal is, the
standard Quality, To gain a foot
hold in those markets for West Vtr-
ginia coal has required years OF in
defatigable energy and the thorough
demonstration Of the fact that the
Goals of this state are the equal, II
not the superior of Pittsburg coal.
Such prestige as has been gained by
the producers OF this state has. been
at a disadvantage of nineteen cents
per ton on the freight rate over
Pennsylvania COAL 1t must be APP
parent to every thoughtful reader,
that, to increase the differentiali six
ty. per: cent, would mean the total
annihilation Of West Virginia busf-
ness. The consequence of the pres
ent differential is that Pittsburg
maintains the strongest, hold on tho
market for steam coal at the lakes
as we'll as domestic, coal in the bet
ter markets of. Ohio and the North.
Their is still another angle. from
which the subject should be. consld-
iered and which emphasizes more
strongly the disadvantage to which
/ West Virginia shippers will be put
Reference is made to the effect on
the, market for slack coal In the ter
rltorv. afteeteds Slack coal COM
lMapds a. much smaller price, than
the other grades produced, Yet the
freight rate is the same. The result
that would follow any curtailment Of
the lump and nut business at the
lakes would so congest the market
for slack that within a short period
Of time 1t would be impossible to