Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-02
SayS Operators Fitch
Millions FrOn, People

Continued from rase One
raise, only $1s, 900, 900 will be require,
for the back pay Of the miners.
In other words, the anthracite opera
tors have. since April I, not only pro-
vided for the miners back pay, but they
have pocketed clean profit on this job.
berry OF 800, 200, 900.
But this Is only a wee bit Of a cir.
cumstance to another ono they pulled of
FIVE years ago.
Multiplied II by -Four
In 1918 what was known as the Roney
coal tax law was enacted. 1t imposed
a tax on every ten OF anthracite coal
taken from the ground. The operators
Immediately raised the price t. cover, as
they alleged, the tax. The rate Of in
crease to the consumer was twenty five
cents ton, though the tax imposed
amounted to only six cents a ton.
In 1915 the Rercy oct was declared
unconstitutional, but did the operators,
who In the Intervening years had been
collecting this tax four times over, ever
make restitution to the pubiics Not
on your life, fellow sufferers. They
soaked this unlawful usufruct down in
their jeans and went on their profteer- =
Ing way rejoicing. ....
The amazing fact is that right here
In the anthracite region the public Is
exploited In the most amazing fashion.
To their credit II In not the great big
concerns that are guilty. but the So
called independent operators. They ore
the fellows who sell their coal to any
buyer willing to pay their price. The
big concerns. who control about 20 per
cent Of the output, sell to two or three
great distributing agents only.
In Scranton and Wilkes Barre, am
informed that consumers have been
pay as high as $11 and $40 ton for
their coal. Shades of profiteering
Such antics have food spectators
skinned n mile.
A local expert who has followed the
trail Of the Anthracite coal profiteer Is
authority for another instance where,
under the cloak of protecting their in =
terests, the Black Diamond Buccaneers
got away with 5000 900.
1t was in connection with the mining
award of 1912. The increase in the
price tackled on BY the operators
amounted to approximately $13. 900. 900.
or this sum only 81, 400. 900 was needed
to meet the advance to the miners. This
left a little matter Of 5000. 900 which
the coal operators quietly pocketed as
their profit on transaction at the pub
lies expense.
The retailer, outside the mine field
cities, Is evidently law unto himself.
He always has the convenient excuse Of
lack Of shipments" scarcity" "di-
minished production, to fall back upon.
The high cost of labor Is also an avail
able asset about the time an increase
In the price Of coal Is being considered
and the advisability Of handing the con &.
sumer fresh wallop is being discussed.
He Is, to be perfectly fair, at time.
ut the mercy Of the producer. Again
the smaller retailer Is perhaps a third
hand purchaser, two other agents or IN,
termediaries getting their rake. off be
fore the coal reaches HIS yard or bins.
The complexities Of the local coal sit
uation are as hard to disentaDgle as tn,
sinuosities of the operators. But what
ever they are, the public Is the goat
II pays the piper and also dances al
the caprice Of the last middleman.
In the final analysis the situation IL
these corrcding days goes back to tn,