The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-06
APPEAL STARTS
FIGHT AGAINST
COAL 'LECCERS
Merchants Utterly Amazed
by Activities, They Say;
Call for Help.
BY FRED w. PERKINS
Times Special Writer

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6. - First
evidence that an active fight against
coal bootleggers is planned by the
anthracite industry was provided to-
day in an appeal to Gov. George II.
Earle, of Pennsylvania. by the Ma
tional Retail Coal Merchants As
ISOLATION.
The association said its members
ARE utterly amazed that the gov
eminent of the great State Of Penn
sylvania should permit the whole
sale stealing of one of its largest
export products.
It urged that he act ito protect
the interests of the miner, the OPP
orator and the retailer of PennSyl-
vania hard coal to the end that
prosperity may once again favor the
anthracite industry"
The letter was signed by c. Claf-
lin Young, of Worcester Mass,
president of the association, whose
members deal in both anthracite
and bituminous coal, but principally
in the former.
Much of the stolen coal" it said,
reaches its market very poorly
prepared, and contains much
foreign substance, to say nothing
of the explosives which have been
found in it,
The market for anthracite is
rapidly shrinking, as is evidenced by
the constantly reduced production,
and for the constituted authorities
of Pennsylvania to condone illegal
acts which in the end can only re-
suit in the further Curtailment of
production and loss Of revenue
seems unbelievable"
The appeal to Gov. Earle was
viewed here as indicating the i'm
portance of the dent being made in
the legitimate industry by the boot
leg product. Thousands of TRUCKERS
are transporting stolen coal from
the southern counties of the an
thracite belt, where the bootleg in
i dustry centers, and are selling in
e,
Washington and other cities.
Middlemen have sprung up at
both ends. Bootleg breakers" are
operating in the producing sections,
buying from the miners and selling
to truckers. A curb market" for
bootleg coal is reported in New
York, although most of the sales are
made by truckers direct to house
holders, usually at enough under
the commercial price to make the
deal attractive.
On recent survey of the bootleg
industry this reporter found EVIL
dence of at least $4,000 men, in
Guiding 1000 to 5000 truckers. regu-
larly engaged in poaching on the
lands of the great coal companies
OF the southern anthracite region
particularly in Schuylkill and
Northumberland counties.
He found also that most of the
bootleg miners had lost their Jobs
IN the legitimate operations when
the coal compani~o closed down
high-cost collieries and centralized
CheIr operations IN highly mechan-
lied plants requiring fewer work.
men.
The men work ir C ..de, dangerous
shafts for an income estimated at
81 day.
Local sentiment was found to be
almost unanimously back of the
bootleggers, most of whom were
born in the region and know no
other way of making a living.
County authorities prosecute in only
formal manner or not at all.
The subject is expected to be a
major one in forthcoming negotia-
tons for new anthracite agree
ment with the United Mine Work
ers. Equalization vi work" among
miners, possibly involving opening
OF some closed mines and collieries.
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