Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-16
LETTERS ON COAL
A Few Gems culled From Large
Correspondence on the Subject OF
Anthrscite-What the Pub
lie Thinks Of II
Ry GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

T HAVE made it rule never to publish
L in this column any letters dealing with
subjects or personalities mentioned or dis
cussed therein.
While most Of the communications re
ceived are of interest yet IL one correspond
ent is favored in this respect all Others
should be entitled to the same courtesy:
As n result not one but several columns
a week might be utilized in this fashion.
Besides, the columns of the EVENING PUBLIC
LEDGERs Public Forum, ably and care
fully conducted, is the recognized publication
department for all communications.
Today, however the rule will be disre-
garded.
My news articles that have appeared from
time to time on the anthracite question
have brought great number Of letters from
readers. They have been commendatory
encouraging, critical and some frankly de-
mandatory.
Most of the latter have neglected to carry
the authors signature.
shall reproduce excerpts from a few of
these that bear most directly on this sub
ject of immediate interest.
In every instance the writers requested
that their names be withheld. Many were
personal and therefore not intended for pub
lication. These are withheld.
A COMMUNICATION from a former
n dealer is interesting because of his per
sonal experience and his knowledge OF trade
conditions. He says:
II have stated time after time that the
coal combine unjustly Surcharged 80 per ton
because of n secret compact of the coal op-
orators, railroads and retail dealers.
II offered the Judiciary Special Committee
of the State Senate to appear before it and
prove by facts and figures my statement.
One prominent coal operator and several coal
dealers said to me: why. hell, Y, you
got yours; have heart. Stop your shout
ing and let us alone
1.-THE late George f. Baer. Of the Phila.
delphia and Reading Railway. said during
the 1902 coal strike that God had put in the
hands of few men the coal OF the land, and
as one Of His agents he was going to do rs
he saw fit.
But Teddy Roosevelt, with his big stick,
settled that agent"
A MOTHER correspondent sends the fol-
"A lowing:
II have read the two articles in the EVE
MING PUBLIC LEDGER presenting the op
orators side of the coal question with great
deal of interest. ] believe that the state
ments you made were absolutely correct, and
they were presented in q very able way.
Il believe that the retail situation should
be analyzed and published, and as am one
of the largest dealers in the city. am send
ing you my figures, hoping that they may
be of some value TO you
(Ihe figures and data furnished were sub
scquently pubishcd.D
The reverse side comes in n two page letter
dealing with the local or retailers side, as
follows:
I'm your articles YOU neglected to ask the
retailers why they charge fifty cents a ton
from the cellar window. | had fifteen tons
put in my cellar and paid 81. 80 for carrying
it a distance of twenty feet
The man who carried it told me that he
did not get any part of the fifty cents; the
boss got it all.
You did not ask the smaller dealers why
they Joined the association and who induced
them to do so and If any threats or intimi
dations were used by the officers of the retail
coal dealers combine to compel them to join,
else the coal companies would make it hard
for them to get coal shipped,
The Retail Dea lerS' Association of Chi
rago was recently indicted as an illegal com
bination in restraint Of trade. and several
of them are ut the present time under $500
bail
TTNH1S same correspondent adds
N1 have read your articles relative to the
anthracite coal situation. and il looks as if
there was prospect Of something being done
in reference TO this COuGe.
II have sent copies Oi your former art icles
10 Attorney General Daughery at Washing
ton. with the request that he read them over
carefully. so he is now familiar with the
situation.
0NE of the prominent operators. and one
~ of the few who docs not hesitate to ex-
press his concern over the situation into
which the anthracite trade is drifting with
reference TO its relations to the Federal Gov
crnment. wrote:
There were n couple of places in your
article of yesterday where there were typo
graphical errors. One Of them is where YOU
frniu iuht pntn ,.f 4 ,c
S2.64.'
The answer is that the freight rate of
SAGA was correct. II had reference TO the
cost of shipping a carload of coal from the
Carbondale region to the city of Reading.
The freight rate was so unreasonable and
excessive that the consignee refused to ac-
ccpt the coal. As result the consignor, the
operating company. was compelled to pay the
freight and in addition n big bill for demur-
rage on the car.
At the time tens Of thousands of idle cars
were lining the tracks and sidings of the
railroad company.
uERE is correspondent who views the
II coal issue from different slant. It
affects the State as we'll as the Individual $
rights.
the coal lands of Pennsylvania, and particu.
larly in what are known as the anthracite
counties, are under valued for assessment
purposes by hundreds of millions of dollars.
'1f the coal barons Of Pennsylvania paid
anywhere near the taxes they should pay on
their coal holdings the State would not bs
compelled to float $50 900 900 loans to build
good roads and there would be millions left
over to care for State and charitable insti- :
tutions as no other Commonwealth in the
Union would be able to do"
TrHE question Of steam sizes and their
i price irritates another writer:
"Your articles on the coal question are
all right and you have gone straight to the
point. except as TO steam coal The opera :
tors fooled you on that when they talked of