BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-10-29
SAf@ JUAN, OCTOBER 29
Government Coal Mines.

Ill d SpCCCi1 Gl biOOhAyu Oi1 oStopSA
18th, Ex-Governor Hill of New York
essayed defence of the clause of the
New York Democratic State platform
which demands that the Government
shall take possession of the anthracite
coal mines under the law of eminent
domain. This proposal is no doubt at
tractive to many persons who look upon
the Trust as the poor mans nemesis.
AS the plan contemplates fair and just
compensation to the owners, we need
not consider its legal bearings except to
remark that the application of the law
of eminent domain is not an instan-
taneous operation. Appraisal OF the nu-
merous properties would be tedious
and protracted task, and would involve
a hot dispute The owners would ex-
pect price based upon past earnings,
but since mine becomes less valuable
every day that it is worked, and is
doomed to exhaustion sooner or later.
and since the coal-carrylng railroads will
not be worth much after the coal is
gone, fair price would be much less
than a capitalization of the usual or eX-
pec.ed income. Therefore the "due
process of law which the Constitution
requires could not be carried into effect
for long time, in any event. The
late crisis in the coal trade has already
passed away.
Would it be conducive to the public
interest that the Government should
undertake the business of coal mining
People who attempt to decide this ques-
ton oif-hand assume that there is some
mysterious power i'll government,
enabling il to take hold Of new and
vast business of the most technical and
complex nature, ard make it a success,
where private enterprise and skill of
the highest typ, backed by unlimited
capital. have resulted in deadlock. The
least reflection should convince us that
> if the Government owned the mines
and machinery to-day it would
break down in an attempt to supply 5o,-
100000 tons of anthracite coal in twelve
months and deliver it to the buyers at
the average price heretofore charged
for it, The only way it could accom-
plish any effective work would be to
hire the presentaaowners and employees,
at suitable salaries, to carry it on. This
would be the first thing TO do. The
next would be TO raise the wages of the
miners to the scale demanded by them
in the present strike. The miners are
not striking for sentimental Or political
reasons, or 10 bring about an ideal state
of society, but to better their physical
condition. Therefore, a rise OF wages
would necessarily precede any resumP-
tion of mining.
But this is not all that they would ex-
pect. Governments seldom gets any
work done as cheaply or as well as pri-
vate persons do, The splr of self-in-
terest that devises economies which
make up the whole difference between
success and failure would be wanting.
Miners would expecs higher wages
from the Government than from private
operators and would have consider
able influence as voters in decid' 'ng wflaI
the wages Should be. Unlcss coal min.
ing is to become in part charge upon
the taxpayers, the price of coal would
have to be increased largely and per-
manently.
We have assumed that the Govern
ment might secure the services Of the
men who are now the heads of the min
ing industry, but this is by no means
certain Very few men possessing the
requisite skill and experience could be |
obtai 1ed for the salaries which the Gov
eminent usually pays to its highest
public servants, such as Cabinet Minis
tiers, Justices of the Supreme Court
etc. 1t is quite certain, however, that
the politicians would very soon be
scheming for these places, both high
and low. If "the Government" which
IS to own the coal mines, means the
Government of Pennsylvania, Senator
Quay would soon be the boss of all the
mines and carrying companies and
every man who entered the service.
either as certificated miner or as
mule-driver, would eventually be an
ottlce-aolder whose place would be all
the disposal of the party machine. All Il
these things would happen unless the
Geovernnens Of Pennsylvania should
have means for operating coal mines
and railroads superior to those which it
has for administering municipal affairs
IN Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. But it
would probably have less, Since there H
would be fewer persons to keep an eve
on the Office holders ii the mines than I,
on those IN the City Hall.
ExtSov. Hill favors the policy ef the
national Government instead of State
taking charge of the coal
mines, because ne says it is national K
question. Ii that event the transfer of L
ownership would not Be restricted toIi
"a f445 Il