1911 Coal Rates WV vs Pittsburgh

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From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: nw-mailing-list <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Sat, Oct 2, 2010 5:21 pm
Subject: RE: 1911 Coal Rates WV vs Pittsburgh



Do we know why the West Virginia to the Lakes area was cheaper than that from Pittsburgh area coal?  Newer fields and easier to get to?  Non-union labor rates?
 
Other?
 Al:
Now that's a surprise.  Coal from W&LE's Eighth Mine District
(near St. Clairsville, OH) moved to Lake Erie at Huron -- one
carrier - two crew districts.  Compare that with coal originating
on the VGN for Toledo -- two carriers, and at least four crew
districts.  There were many inequities in freight rates.  Loco-
motive coal for the SAL at Hamlet, NC was cheaper if billed to
a station in South Carolina.  So SAL would have their coal 
billed to Wallace, SC.  The coal was terminated at Hamlet, but
SAL had their clerks fill out wheel reports showing movement
to Wallace -- just in case the federales checked up.

One other suggestion -- sometimes carriers would offset
predominately loaded moves in one direction by enticeing
shippers with low rates to equalize the traffic in the other
direction.  Maybe Lake coal was intended to offset products
from the industrialized north and midwest.  Harry Bundy

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