Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-25
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

High Finances Pinches the Poor.
 AIr. Editor: Since the coal barons have the government with them, why should they be afraid.
 Witness their scheme to oppress the poor, of whose necessities the coal barons are as well aware as you or l. Those who buy their coal early were advenced 25 cents on a ton; those who delay buying get an in crease of 10 cents Q month added till October. for four months; and those who are compelled from necessity to buy by the half ton, quarter ton. or basket. get still more than 65 cents g ton added.
 The coal barons have been so sue cessful in their campaign of mfsrepre- SentatiOn that even the UniteI States Geological survey talks of the scarcf- ty of coal hence the prospect of still higher prices.
 A writer to the New York Times said recently:
 When rates on anthracite and bi- luminous coal are broadly compared. very anomalous condition appears Over five hundred million tons of bi- luminous coal are yearly carried in the United States on a freight rate of about One-half cent a mile per ton while on eighty million tons of anthra- cite carried, an average of about one collected"
 Much material for misunderstood ing regarding the extent and value of our anthracite coal fields has been studiously circulated by the coal op- orators and others.
 Our eastern coal fields follow the Appalachian Mountains from the state of New York to Alabama, and while isolated deposits occur in some New England states, and farther eastward crop out into the Nova Scotia de- pOsits the great workable fields run through the state of Pennsylvania southward to the state of Alabama. The coal is mostly bituminOus, ex- cept where the Blue Ridge Noun tains havC disturbed the deposits andy by compression and upheavaI, convert ed the bituminoag coal into anthra- cite.
 Deposits of anthracite are found following these mountains throughout their extent in the state of Virginia It has been mined locally for many years and in quality compares favor ably with Pennsylvania coal; but, if admitted to market it would have a Disturbing effect upon those who now rule the trade. There appears to exist systematic effort to conceal the vast extent and value of the Virginia an thracite fields; even the United States Department of Geology for many years has touched as lightly as possible up- on the subject. yet. if admitted to mar ket on bituminous freight rates, the coal could be delivered on a Philadel- phia basis for S3.5O ton wholesale and leave the mine owner ample prof. it. This would never do. for it would knock about a hundred million of dol lars annually of excessive charges from the anthracite combine"
 High finance stands for extension and the robbery of the people.
 The people ought to demand of the party in power a rigid investigation of the whole matter
 High finance makes coal costing $2.50 ton at the mines cost the con- sumer $7.75 a ton; salmon which nets cents a pound at the wharf costs the consumer 35 cents a pound and it puts upon every necessity which goes to the people about thrice the original cost at the place of production.
 Along these lines no country has a more oppressive or rottener system than the United States.
 OBSERVER.
 Norwich, August 24 1916,