Show Tim ANTHRACITE POOL 1t I t I Gov Patterson Requests a Hove Against It11 I HIS SEASONS FOE MAKING IT One of the lfloflt Important Steps Yet T3ken by the Pennsylvania State Administration The Anthracite Pool I HARRISBURG Penn October 2Gov Ij j raor Patterson has addressed a letter to AttorneyQeneral Cassidy on the aition of the Anthracite pool and requesting f re-questing him to move aganst it in ooart In the course of his letter the Governor says My attentionthas been directed to the fact th within the past 1 fortnight certain corporations chartered char-tered by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsyl-vania acting in concert have ordered to advances in the prices of anthracite anthra-cite coal It has been ascertained upon inquiry that these corporations comprise what is knowq as the Anthracite An-thracite Coal Combination which was created in its present form at a ineting held in New York on December 31st IBM when there were present representatives represen-tatives of tbe Delaware tack wanna and Western Railroad Companies Le high Valley Railroad Company Phila dslphis Reading Railroad Company Sew York Lake Erie Western Railroad Rail-road Company Delaware Hudson I Canal Company Pennsylvania Coal I Company Lehigh Coal Navigation Company and Pennsylvania Railroad Company At that meeting an agreement agree-ment was entered into by which six of these corporations were in effect pledged in writing to r strict and regulate the production of coal and to maintain and to advanceits price An apportionment of the whole production was then allotted al-lotted to each company for the year 1335 and on January 1st 1886 a new ailottmfnt went into operation based on the annual production of 33500000 tans After referring to the advances ad-vances of 30 cents per ton in Ue price ot coal since July 2 1886 the governor says Recently through offics of the syndicate of capitalists there has been a strengthening of the anthracite coal combination and the claim is now made by some of its mem oers that they can mark up coal at prices to any figure they please thereby subjecting the public to their mercy injuriously and unwarrantably taxing every fireaide and imposing upon coal consumers The State constitution declares that no corporate company doing do-ing business ot a common carrier shall directly or indirectly prosecute 6r en gage in mining or manufacturing articles arti-cles for transportation over its works yet all or nearly all of the common cirners represented in the Antoraltce 4 i Coal Combination are engaged directly 1 or indirectly in the mining of coal By restricting the production and advauc ag the prices it has crippled vast iron aterests decreased the demand for anthracite coal and in the reduction of iron ores forcing iron furnaces out of Kast and placing nearly all the industries in-dustries of Eastern Pennsylvania at the mercy of the managers of these compa It 063 The Governor also called attention to the trunk line pool which he says by it3 arbitrary power holds a perpetual per-petual menace over the material Interests ot the country In closing the Governor says Against such coin Inaations the individual is helpless The commonwealth of Pennsylvania created corporations that are members of the Autoracite Coal Combination and of the TrunK line pool vested them with the right of domain and other franchises of a public nature They owe certain duties to their creator and one of these is to avoid any infringement infringe-ment upon the rights of individuals or the e eal wellbeing of the State Theirlmterference with the natural current cur-rent and condition of trade ha been iu violation of what is believed to be sound public policy pol-icy and against the best interests in-terests Of2 the State It prejudices the public and oppresses individuals It is a reversion of the purpose for which they wore created Those facts whidh have been reported to me and meas ab authenticated I deem of suffic lent importance to refer to you for your condioeration and such action as circumstances cir-cumstances may warrant u It is under wood Attorney General Cassiday will at once proceed sjambt the coal pool but he has not yet decided This is consid j ered one of the mos important steps taken by the State administration and was not decided upon until after a very ClreCul consideration j |