The Washington times., 1915-08-13

to as having been called to the atten-
tion OF the Attorney General
The anthracite decision. affecting;
carrying railroads Of the country.
makes a sweeping reduction IN the
rates OIL this commodity both to tide
water and to interior points.
Capital Not Affected.
The commission fixes rates, effective
October 1. to New Jersey and New
York tidewater points. and to interior
Eastern points In New York State ana
New England, from 10 cents to go cents
lower than the rates now IN eject.
Anthracite coal rates to MasniHett tS tSn
carriers parties to the proceeding. In
clude the Pennsylvania railroad. NO
order was issued relative to Washing-
ton. OF the railroads Inv. Involved; a;sctsa tns
,, Its rates were lower than those Of other
roads, and were affected only where
they were through rates.
Though the comroission held tnat tne
sumers In their effect upon prices; 1t 10
generally believed that there Will be no
material reduction to the consumers OF
the country. particularly the nouse-
holders. who use anthracite as domes. ss
| tic fuel No change In Washington ID
| looked for.
| Commissioner Harlan dissented from
the majority opinion on the ground
that It was inconsistent win the re-
cent advance on other commodities
allowed the same roads In the per
cent case.
The decision Of the commission. hand
ed down late yesterday. severely crni-
alleged rebating to coal companies In
which thev are financially interested,
! The commission declares that the coal
carrying companies and the coai-pro-
I,,o avnio
related through the medium OF inter-
| locking directorates that but 20 per
cent Of the tonnage moved can be con.
sidcred public traffic Eighty per cent
mines owned by companies which. IN
turn. are controlled by the coal carriers
William Rockefeller. William H.
Moore. T. Dewitt Cuyier, George F.
bury, L. F. Loree. p. A. B. Widener
ard many other men. prominent in the
| financial world. are mentioned by the
| commission as directors whose inter-
companies are responsible for alleged
abuses In connection with anthracite
coal carriage.
Further. the commission severely criti-
, cises the alleged practices of the coal
! carriers in lending money to subsidiary
coal companies without Interest and in
charging off to profit and loss large
sums advanced to the coal mining con-
Germs.
1t Is estimated that the reductions in
rates ordered by the commission will
| take IS $1,000 900 a year in revenue from
the hard coal railroads.
Began In 1912.
The inquiry into anthracite coal rates
was Instituted on June 20. 1912. as an
inquiry to all rates and practices. 1t
was later confined to the roads that
| are initial anthracite carriers-that is
the roads that take shipments from the
mines, collieries. or waeheries. These
road Company Of New Jersey, Phila-
delphia and Reading Railway Company.
the Delaware. Lackawanna and Western
Railroad Company, Lehigh Valley Rail-
Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad
Company. New York. Susquehanna and
Western Railroad Company. New York.
Ontario and Western Railway Company.
the Northern Central Railway Conf pany.
and the Delaware and Hudson Com
pany
The findings Of the commission give
long recital OF "frenzied financing
Of the most lurid pattern. and tell OF
the organization of holding companies.
Of interlocking directorates. of combi-
| nations to crowd new entries out OF
the anthracite field. and all Of the pano-
rama OF finance that has followed the
struggles for control Of the great coal
production Of Pennsylvania 1t tells how
the independent coal companies strove
| to organize and operate railroads to
| gain full freedom and fair competition
| for their product. only to find that they
had been undermined or sold out.
Some of the Findings.
| Here are some of the things found
against the anthracite coal roads by the
commission. as given In It's summary Of
conclusions and digest of findings:
That the respondents by means Of
trackage arrangements and the free
transportation to junction points in the
mining regions of coal exchanged by
their allied coal companies. have ex-
tended the advantages of interline trans
portation to their coal companies to the
prejudice Of other coal shippers 70
whom interline transportation at point
rates has been denied. Respondents re-
auired to establish through routes ana
Joint through rates applicable thereto.
| That concessions and offsets granted
by respondents to their allied coal COM
panies in the form of interest charges,
| royalty earnings, the use Of valuab BILE
! property at inadequate rentals. the free
use Of the carriers funds. credit. or by
other means as pernicious as direct cash
rebates. Such concessions and offsets are
unlawful.
That lateral allowances paid TO a coal
| shipper in accordance with an agree
ment. alleged to be additional compensa-
ton for the use of facility furnished
Nv sbfnper nj xx,fpI