The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1909-12-09

Our coal IuduAtrytn tta phen ON
email growth has nearly doubled dur
ing each succeeding decade OF the
past eight years. xthas had TO do
more than keep pace with our in
sreasirg poPuletisns for while u
supplied less tkAn one con of coal
per capita to tks Ahsrisan people IN
1880. Ss has had % .supply aearly sfx
tonsper capita dariug 1908 1ts growth
has been too rapid for eystemnsiC
development; and She industry co.
day represents a great host Of scat
tered warning, discouraged elements,
without organization or cO-opera-
ton. a
In this industry are now employ
ed some 10000 miners, who
worked at some COCO different
mines, and produce yearly about
SOC, 900 900 tons Of coal
Not only is the nation increasing
Iy dependent upon this coal for ITS
heat, light and power for It's manu-
featuring industries and transpOrta-
ton facilities. but this coal and 9TH
er mineral products now contribute
il tonnage more than siXty-five per
sent. of the total freight traffic of
the country.
The economic conditions upon
which coal mining is based III this
country are fundamentally bad and
the evil consequences are so far
reaching as to both time and extent,
and are 30 essentIcGIty national IN
character, that this subject demands
the earnest consideration of our
best statesmen, az we'll as our best
engineers.
1. In spite OF this rapid growSh
in our demand for coal tho normal
productive capacity of oUr coal
mlues under continuous operation
greatly exceeds tins demand;
?. RuinOas competition exists
not only between the operators in.
the same field. but between the ops
orators of one field as against those
in another field, or in another state,
where different mining laws and,
regulations exists;
f3 3. This competition IS first Of all
driving out Of the business the small
operators except where they find
protection uhder local freight rates
and is forcing even the larger Oper
Ator to mine coal under conditions
which he cannot approve but from
which be finds no escape. If he and
ais fellow operators eudeavOr to
''get together" and place the price
81 coal at the mine on a reasonable
basis they go to Jail under either a
federal or q state statute; and as
che only alternative each must live
Cor succumb) by underbiddIng the
sther, which he can do only through |
Wasteful aud unsafe mining meth
eds;
4. Even when the demand for |
GOAL and the prices are at their best,
Ender existing conditions, the oper-
ator can mine o0ly that part of his
coal which can be taken out most
sheapIy and sold at higher prices
and the remainder must be left un-
foreground in such shape as may
preclude it's future recovery. Aud
thus we waste yearly more than /
$50, OOO,O 900 tons OF the natIon's fuel |
supply;
s. The American mine owner is |
as hnmane as is the mine over Of !
any other country; and he would !
like TO follow every practice and use I
avery appliance for safety 70 be /
found in BrI tain, or France, or Bel |
GUM. or Germany, or elsewhere |
but be pays his miners higher
wages and at the same time receives
for his coal at the mine less than
half the price received for similar
mined coal by the operator in these
countries; aud he must employ
miners in this cOuntry, large perl