Bisbee daily review., 1909-02-23
BUREAU IF
 MINES IS A
 GROWING NEED
Washington View As Reflected in the Post is That the De- partment Should Be At Once Established

Out of the troubled conditions Of mines and mining in the United States there has gradually grown up a general feeling that a bureau of mines ought to be part of the fed eral government The mine workers and the mine owners have united in asking congress for such a bureau. and 8 bin providing for it Is rending in the senate. after having passed the house last May by an overwhelming vote. says the Washington Post.
 The functions of bureau of mines and tho services it would perform for the minirc industry are manifold Or coUrse. being federal bureau it would have no Jurisdiction over the mining in thC several states. That this IS understood by the states them selves is seen in the fact that the principal coal p-cduciug states have asked for such q bureau and endors ed them movement. The bureaus tendency and principal aim naturally, would be to rsduce the number of ac, cidents TOW So common in the mines of the country and to thoroughly in- Yestigate their causes. It is generally conceded that there are many mys- teries in these underground expio- sions that only science can solve. The death rate in the mines of the country Is 6 disgracefulr record The facts are discouraging. not only because the death rate is three or four times greater than in other countries. but because the situation is growing worse rather, than better. Includ ng both the coal and metal mines, the killed and injured numbered no less than 75,000 men during the last ten years. During the past year alone. the number of killed and injured probably exceeded 10000.
 It would be the duty of the bureau of mines to investigate the causes of these terrible disasters and to seek out means by which they could be avoided Probably this could be best accomplished by disseminating the in- formation to the state mining bureaus and to the miners themselves. some what as the department of agriculture now supplies information to farmers. Scientific research has reduced the mine death rate in other countries to a minimum That the same can be done here goes without saying.
 Here is one of the greatest of Am ericau industries virtually neglected by the government Mining with its yearly production valued at s2.000.- GOO, 900. ranks next to agriculture. manufacturing and commerce in its importance to the country. The gov ernmeut has devoted a whole deDart- ment to the developing of agricul- ture; 1t has another department giy- en over to commerce and lab"E There is a bureau of animal industry, a bureau of manufactures. of corpora tons. fisheries, immigration. and many other things.
 Both national party platforms of the past year declared in favor of the establishment of a bureau Of mines. The outgoing president recommended such action. and the incoming presi- dent said in a recent letter. "the pub lie conscience of the country is awak- erirg to both the loss of life and the waste of materials in all our indus tries. and We must see to .t that the nov ement is guided wisely and car riFd forward to success.
 The general demand throughout the country for a bureau of mines and the unanimity with which both caD'tal and mining labO- have re- Ouasted it o"ght to have an effect upon the action Of congress.