The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-06-25

,rborc !. very nice little business IN
American coal down in Cuba, afno"n'i"H
., q ,riee less than Il million and nan
tons year, which we are IN Ian
UNIV 70 lose us a result OF th'
sighted policy Of the Shipping hoi'u w
placing 4 prohibitve 1rcIEht Ia'c
shipments Of coal 10 Cupah
some Of this business has already oc'n
Iost and we are going TO lose the rest
Of II unless there is an imih'u'A'c ''''"
drastic cut in tn" rates
Reforc the war the freight rate OH
sb,rmen,s Of American coal TO havana
VAS about $3.50 ton. while the rate "
,h1 eou,h side or Cuba was around
70 Tho shipping Board present
rates. arc $50 10 Havana and ~. u
South SIDE. with n new form or char-
ttcr party which guarantees inc ste""'''
against all risks and which Sofhc'aIn'9
adds two or three dollars 10 the cost %
| the coal. ,
1us, why such n tremendous increase
| in rates was made is difhcult 10 unot'
stand. like many Of the actions OF 'n'
! Shipping Hoard. II is fairly cEiu'n1
Thai tho authorities looked upon 'unl
! as purely an American propoHl' 'o'i
! where We had nothing TO rear l''"'
l.Britlsh cunpctIt!on as far as coal va
concerned. Therefore. they charged All
! m. traffic would bear, following Inv
practcr formerly IN vogue on certain
| Of tho railroads here. In THIS case
however. the thing was somewhat
-, crdonc and ''uba backhrcd.
II &c not that this trade Is going W
Enrland: VIC are still shipping coal TO
| Cuba in spite Of the rates, but oel"rc
very long unless tho rates arc reouc'u
TO n san" level there simply ISM s''"e
10 h. any coal business at all ana once
We lose this trade II IS going 10 stay
: lost.
+ Tho Shipping Board and esprciaiIy US
recently formed department or coal IN
/ pprts. is fully aware Of the s'ual'oH'
| Eot long ago there was conference
i, Washington between Shipping board
uffic ais and number or i'ao'"H
nortcrs or coal and others interested IN
! tho subject. where tho ma'''r woo
brorrht IA the attention OF II. \. SAINT
/ who is head # the new o'Pa'
! \, that time a rcprcscn;aiiv" or inc
,,,,l, Halfway mad. the statement that
his company could not atlord to Keep
I nm pa,inS the high freight rat" on coal
and was experimenting with M'Ni'"l
fucl oil which. he sad. could ne
hrrurh, IN quickly AT much less on
.pcnsc. llc gave tho diSqui"tng ht"F-
nation that oil Cnmp"iliI"n was aircH"S
| n an advanced stag" IN cuba and '""'
| The oil interests were 'N"runE every
effort to further the us OF the'r
product. go.
- During the calendar year OF l"lH' We
shIpprd l.i4U.ioi toms Of coal I" uo'.
! This according :" IN" pcpaF'n''h' VI
&, n1ncrce. was valued al S'i'o'-l" D.
Tim, is not n sum 10 hr lightly thrown
auay even if W. are becoming used 10
! thinking IN terms Of billions and. any
WAY. the only S.uGl" country That LOOK
n greater quantity uf American coal III
1915 Was canada 10 winch "" shIpPcu
1914 364 tons.
Thr loss OF the Cuban trade would ne
UNPLEASANT from any standpoint nut II
would hc particularly bad 10 Iose ''''
business to Mexican OIL when ~ P'",
durCd by tho cheapest kind q! I"o"r anu
not much Of THAI and. therefore, comes
IN competition with our hiEhly-P"Iu
mime labor The trade can III held. or
! most 81 It can. !: W." can %"t 4 ''aH-
I,uahlc fro ghi rate to the island. Inc
lonly thing is, the reduction Will nave
no bc mad" quickly. The con:er"hc"
two weeks ago. So IN" shipping poa'u
has known Of the situation AT least iha'
length Of tHmc even Il II has pad TO
attention to the protests "h''h mas
been mad" Ia IT ever sinC" IN" h'ah
rates went INTO effect. At the tim" or
tho conference Mr. Saint PROMISED |"
have tho matter looked mt" ana II -
reasonable to believe h" has kept MS
word but the %t1gation ought h"'
tn take long. even for IN" ShipFhb
Board. and If anything is /" b" o"h"'
now is tho time to do 1t.
There is just another Thought IN con-
Injection with this matter: when coal
is shipped TO Cuba. il forms IN" chtlFc
IcarEo OF the steamer and III" vessel re-
turns with sugar. II VIC lose IN" 'u-
ban coal trade. it will moan that steam
CTS will have 10 so down IN ballast
inter sugar which. in consequence VIII
have to pay higher freight rate. win
n resulting Increase in cost to tn" con-
lsumrr here. all of which will bc due "a
Tho protection extended. in one form or
lanothcr, TO Mexican fuel oil.