Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-19


must be taken care of, together
with provision for some earnings,
either by additional increase in price
or by decrease in cost.
I'VE wish to call attention to the
fact often overlooked but neverthe-
less obvious, that mine prices and
the prices charged the householder
should not be confused. AS an IL
lustration, a ton of pea coal on board
cars at mines to-day sells at $3.50.
which is all the operator gets out
! of the $9.05 paid by the house.
holder, at Philadelphia. The aver
| age freight rate to Philadelphia,
fixed by the United States Govern
ment and paid into the United States
| Treasury, is s1.75, making the cost
per ton on board cars in Philadel-
phia s6.55. To this is added the
/ margin for the retailer, which fig
ure was determined by Federal au-
| thority. making the whole cost to
the consumer S9.05, of which $4.25
or Al per cent. constitutes distribu-
ton charges with which the operator
has nothing to do. The illustration
holds good as to other sizes.
Tells of Investigation
I'VE would further ask that your
! attention be directed to the detailed
| report of the cost investigation re-
ferred to by DR.. Garfield. This in
quiry was made by three engineers
| of the United States Fuel Adminis-
| tration and the results are of rec
| ord. A paper embodying conclu-
sions of this cost report was read
before the February 1919 meeting
| of the American Institute of Mining
| Engineers in New York City by Mr..
r. V. Norris. one of the engineers,
who points out that the selling prices
of anthracite at the mines has in
| creased but 30.5 per cent. over the
| pre-war price. while the cost of pro-
duction has gone up SO per cent, the
difference having been absorbed by
! the operators, with the unhappy re-
suits mentioned by DR.. Garfield.
I'VE desire to refer to a passage
| in the printed accounts of your let
| ter to the Attorney General, ques-
| tioning the economic justice of in
| crea sing prices in view of the mild
| winter and the broken time now
being worked by the mines. We
have endeavored to make it clear
| that the sound basis for the selling
price of anthracite is the cost of
| production, in which weather is not
the controlling factor.
Work on broken time results in
a greatly increased cost. The actual
! direct charges per ton of output re-
main unchanged, while the proper
tionate charge per ton for fixed ex-
| penses and continuous work, such as
! pumping, increases as production
! decreases.
Anthracite mining is one of the
oldest and most important industries
of the State. 1t normally employs
| about IT'S, 900 persons, of whom
members of this association employ
about 10000, representing a popula-
ton of approximately 100000 i'm
mediately dependent upon mining
and another 100000 indirectly de-
| pendent.
That the mines may be worked
efficiently and that labor may be
continuously employed at fair wages
! it issessential that both the inflow
! of orders and the outflow of coal
| should be distributed as evenly as
possible over the whole year and
not be concentrated in the few
months of winter. The few price
announcements recently made have
had an appreciable effect in stabiliz-
| ing market conditions and stimulat-
! ing the demand for coal.
Your announcement of Friday
| morning has done much again to
upset our industry and will react
| to the detriment of mine workers
wishing for steady employment. We
| therefore urgently request that
| whatever inquiry you conduct. it will
| be made at once, and that the full
and complete facts be brought out
| once for all.
1--WE believe this is a just request
as our industry is one of the great
est in Pennsylvania and it is the
duty of the authorities of this Com
| monwealth to see that justice and
| fair treatment be accorded to it."
Sprouts Attitude
The Governors reply follows:
Your very instructive letter of
the 18th instant is at hand, and
the information you give and also
your expression of desire to CO.
| operate in an inquiry as to the cost
! of anthracite coal are appreciated.
"Since we have taken up the gen.
eral question of the cost of anthra-
cite coal, so many collateral ques-
! tions, involving the same general
| subject, have been brought up, that
it seems that a very thorough and
far-reaching inquiry by the State
would be in order. OF course, we
are vitally interested in pennsylvania
in all of the questions affecting the
|
| a Pennsylvania institution, and its
problems are our problems.
1--WE are interested that the wages
! paid the miners shall be maintained
| at q standard commensurate with
| the skill and the perils related to the
work; we are interested in the pro-
| lection of the market for anthracite
| against the increasing uses of other
fuels; and we are interested in the
progress and prosperity of the in
| dustry as represented by the capital
! and enterprise devoted to it.
"Other questions of importance to
us here in Pennsylvania are those re-
lating to surface support, and the
danger which threatens some of our
| communities; the proper inspection
of coal to prevent it's adulteration
with slate and other impurities; and
4 the problems of State and local tax
alton of coal as mined and coal in
| the ground. The complaints against
| the Impurities in coal have become
more and more numerous, and sug-
gestions have come from other states
and from Federal authorities that
some action should be taken by this
| State to correct what is represented
as an imposition upon the consum-
| ers. Possibly this has been due to
| the forced mining of the past ten
years. more than to any intent to