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LATROBE-CONNELLSVILLE
INTERESTS COMBINED.
An important consilidation of the Latrobe-Connellsville
coal and coke producing interests was
perfected during the current month under the
name of the Latrobe-Connellsville Coal & Coke Co.
The concerns merged are the Saxman, Superior,
Latrobe-Connellsville, and Derry Coal & Coke Cos.
of Latrobe, Pa. All have been active operating
factors in the trade for some time and combined
their daily tonnage amounts to 4,000 tons highgrade
steam coal and 1,500 tons of Connellsville
foundry and furnace coke. The mining plants
taken in are two of the Derry company, two of
the Superior company and one each of the Saxman
and Latrobe-Connellsville companies, all of
which are arranged for economical operation. All
of the plants feed new batteries of coking ovens.
All of these properties are in the vicinity of Latrobe
and take the Latrobe freight rate. The
officers of —e conipany are R. K. Cassatt, president;
E. M. Gross, secretary; and M. W. Saxman,
treasurer and general manager. Operating headquarters
will continue to be at Latrobe and the
Pittsburgh sales agency will be at 806 Park building,
with E. M. Gross in charge and the eastern
sales offices at 116 Arcade building, Philadelphia,
with R. K. Cassatt and N. B. Wittman in charge.
NEW RULING ON CAR SUPPLY.
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
In the complaint of Charles A. Thompson against
the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., involving the
right of a railroad to regulate the supply of cars
to coal shippers, the following ruling was made
by the Interstate Commerce Commission:
1. The right of complainant to ship coal was
not barred by the fact that he is a druggist by
occupation, or that he loaded coal cars from
wagons, for a large part of the commerce of the
country is handled in that way; and when he
tendered freight for transportation he was entitled
to the same facilities furnished to other
shippers under ake conditions.
2. During the anthracite coal strike of 1902,
which caused an extremely large demand for bituminous
coal and great increase in the price of
that coal, complainant arranged for the purchase
and sale of the surplus product of certain bituminous
mines, called surface or country mines,
and for hauling the coal by wagon to stations or
sidings and loading upon defendant's cars. Under
normal conditions this could not be done at a
profit. Complainant demanded and received several
cars during the month of November, 1902. In
that month defendant issued a rule limiting its
coal cars to mines having track connection with
its road, and this rule was kept in force during the
strike period. The demand for coal throughout
the strike resulted in the greatest tax upon the
railroad equipment and in the congestion of lines,
yards and terminals. The mines loading by tipple
and by track connection received far less than
their usual car supply. Under these and other
conditions, defendant's temporary rule, confining
its comparatively few available cars to mines generally
in operation, where quick loading could
be accomplished, and declining to permit its siding
and switches to be further congested by loading
coal from wagons, not only by complainant,
but many others temporarily engaged in the same
pursuit, was calculated to hasten rather than retard
the movement of coal for public use, and
was not unreasonable or unjust.
3. No opinion is expressed upon the point
whether a railroad may, under ordinary conditions,
discriminate in furnishing cars as between
the methods of loading by tipple and wagon, or
whether without a rule it may, even in great
emergency, discriminate between the two classes
of shipments, and the decision is confined to the
particular situation disclosed by the record in this
proceeding.
THE RETAILERS' CONVENTIONS.
Two important conventions of retail coal dealers
of central and northwestern states were held last
week. The first, that of the Michigan and Indiana
Retail Coal Association opened at Jackson, Mich.,
on June 7, and continued through the following
day. The convention of the Illinois-Wisconsin
dealers' convention was held at Chicago on June 9
and 10. Many questions of importance were settled
in these conventions and many new and useful
ideas for improving the coal trade in various
ways were given birth. The Michigan-Indiana
Association elected the following officers: President,
Robert Lake, Jackson, Mich.; vice-president,
F. A. Hobbs, Benton Harbor; treasurer, A. E.
Bradshaw; board of directors for three years.
D. M. Baker and Walter Miller. Mr. Lake was
elected to the presidency for his sixth consecutive
term.
PENNSYLVANIA COAL AND COKE.
Shipments of coal and coke originating on the
lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. east of
Pittsburgh and Erie for the year ending June 3
were as follows:
Short tons. 1905. 1904.
Anthracite coal 1,942,262 1,836,847
Bituminous coal 11,618,6(6 11,431,6^3
Coke 4,648,200 3,699,3S5
Totals 18,209,138 16,967,9z5