Year: 1874




s2i5


Add 10 the above totals the tolls on the lateral rail-
roads which bring the coal from the mines to Port
Carbon-an averrge Of IS cents per ton-and we have
the OF the coal at the point where Is sold
or delivered TO the railroad company for shipment TO
gas s. PsT Of for the Pas
fore only 3 . cents per ton out OF @ Which ns
In the business.


COAL MINING PROFITS SMALL


Very few men in this vicinity have got rich mining
coal and probably more money has been brought here
and invested In the business than has been taken away
Many coeries show small yearly profit on the books,
but account taken of the depreciation OF the prop
erty or Of future contingencies so that when 1t Is
necessary TO make new opening or put In new pump
ingengines or hostiugmachinery money must he oor-
until IL is heavy to carry when the concern s sold
out at loss to the Reading Railroad Company This Is
Kill County. The difficulty with the business of mining
tnat 1t has not vet nd itself of the speculative in1u.
enee developed by the high prices of the war Many coal
companies paying too high royalty bought their
lands FOR much more than present actual value Ihey
greater t1an their property worth pay interest on
debts for which they have little to show in the wav OF
basis corresponding with that TO which the hard times
have reduced most other branches Of business and
would have done so before this had not the railroad
combination kept up the price OF coal


INFLUENCE OF RAILROADS UPON THE COST OF COAL.
have shown above how much Of the price OF ton Of
coal goes to the miner and how much to the coery
owner There remains the third principal party, shar-
ing in the amount the pays and that Is the
transportation company In the case Of the schuykil
region this is the Reading Rlroad COMPANY. It's
rate Of toll from Port Carbon to Port Richmond wharyes
distance Of about 100 miles, IL " per toD Compalnt
Is made that this Is too high; that 1t Is the same
charged before the panic and that since then the Com
pany has cut down the wages or It's employes, ano
reduced all It's other expenses, and could. therefore,
afford reduce its tolls Adding the 81 tolls 10 the cost
OF coal Port Carbon s. 75 makes the cost III the cars
at the Philadelphia terminus 81 rs. To this should be
added 80 the cost of unloading making tOtal
OF s. The advertised price for Noyember for the
large of COAL Droken." IN the yards OF the Pha-
delphia aud Reading Coal Company is - o.
THIS Coal Company 1t should be borne In
mind, is only department OF the railroad
company. 1t will therefore be seen that the railroad
company makes, first, large profit on Transportation,
aud, next, profit the coal three times as great as
that made by the coiery operators Tue price given
above is however for retail sales On all shipments ny
water and sales in large quantities to manufacturers
and Others considerable discount is allowed, reaching
probably high as so cents a ton.


The conclusions drawn fram the above facts are tnat
the price of anthracite coal in Philadelphia and New
York at least 81 ton higher than the times justify
and that this' Increase over what may be called a
normal rate Is due the following causes: nfst,
combination OF miners to maintain old prices Tor labor
secondly the speculative feature which s adneres 10
the business OF mining and, thirdly, combination OF
all the transportation companies which furnlsh NIGH
from the anthracite region to Underwater TO obtain
antepaulc rates for carrying the coal ana more tLan
snte-panic rates for the article in the market