The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-09
ducing moro than the engine coal for
the San Pete Valley railroad,
Prospects of Immediate Relief.

ducing moro than the engine coal for
the San Pete Valley railroad,
Prospects of Immediate Relief.
Salt Lake City will not suffer There
| is more coal today in the consumers
bins than at any time in the past. 1t
is true that orders are away behind,
caused largely by the precaution of the
| consumers to order ahead, which In
times past was unknown. With the re-
cent closing of the Blackfoot sugar
factory, $50 tons of slack daily are re-
| leased for other purposes. The next
| thirty days will see all the other sugar
factories closed down for the season,
releasing 500 tons per diem. The car
| shortage is now a thing Of the past
and the supply of coal to the markets
is solely a question. of available labor
| Every coal miner in the country can
get all the work he can perform in any
of the mines of Utah and Wyoming.
The railroads will be In position to haul
| the coal as fast as loaded and the
markets will abosrb it as fast as de-
| livered. The railroad companies are
ordering and receiving as rapidly as
may he new engines and more cars,
which will be quickly available for the
| service demanded. The Oregon Short
| Line has rs new engines and 2400 box,
stock and coal cars, all 100000 capac
itv, under way The Hartman system
total of $4,000 cars for delivery dur
ing the coming year In addition to
this increase OF carrying capacity, the
Union Pacific main line will be double
tracked between Green River and
Granger, which will greatly facilitate
the delivery during the ensuing year.
The Rio Grande system is doing all
that IL can to meet the situation by
inc in
mage rule is no longer in operation on
either system.
Outlook for the Future.
The chief question presented is the
scarcity Of labor The American born
and even the foreign born but English
speaking population will not work in
our coal mines. The result is that the
personnel of the mines is recruited
from foreigners-Finns, Huns. Poles,
Scandinaviaps, Austrians, Greeks, Ital-
ians, with a few Japanese and Chinese,
Under the Chinese exclusion act it is
quite impossible TO increase this source
of supply. The Japanese are strong
and active. making good miners, but
again the supply is limited. The other
races become exceedingly nomadic in
their habits, and although steady en-
pIoyment is always before them, come
an ago. WOCh OF 90 nbI Wofh HB pIedS-
ure, Until this feature Of the question
is overcome, it is difficult TO see any
solution, as none Of the mines are to-
day working full-handed.
AS to storage of coal in the summer
months by the larger manufacturing
concerns: The arguments advanced by
the consumer is that he is not in the
fuel business; that no adequate advan-
tage is offered to them by the producers
l.
chase an article which depreciates
every day. when he should be able to
purchase it TO meet his requirements.
Tn addition to which 1t involves in
creased expense fo rhandling and space
for storage and may Mt any move pro-
duce spontaneous combustion and be.
come a total loss, TO say nothing about
interest on his investment, To this
comes the answer that it is impossible
with the existing mines or even others
to meet the enormously increased de-
man dior fuel during the winter months
if the consumer will not set aside stor-
age coal. That slack carefully put up
in heaps not TO exceed twelve feet in
height and twenty in width will not
take fire under'ordinsry conditions, and
while it loses from > to 10 per cent of
its heating value. "a well as its bright
ness. the consumer must stand the loss
it would add TO the cost of the coal by
reason Of the cost Of unloading. storage
and loading again. which would be n
considerable item and would have to
be paid for by the consumer,
Available Fields.
The Superior Mining company. an adj
iunct of the Union Pacific railway, is
now opening four new mines, the OPP
GRAFTON Of which will largely depend
on the solution of the labor question.
The same problem coufronts the Cen
trail Coal and Coke company. possess
ing plenty of coal land and realizing
that the condition of the market war
rants the expenditure. but until some
solution is offered to the labor question,
will not proceed, The Utah Fuel com
pany will open one additional mine in |
its possession besides increasing the |
present output, providing labor can be |
obtained.
The Independent Coal company will |
open a small mine in the Castle Gate
field during the coming yeor The Sa-
lima field is entirely out Of tho market, |