The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-06-03
BY Associated Press.

Washington June 2.-Protection TO
7. the coal and petroleum industries o
0 the United States was the subject o
0 long speech in the senate today by
8 Senator Elkins, of West Virginia. Ht
= took the position that the coal pro
+ ducers of the country are in no posi-
. ton to stand a reduction In the exist
ing rates of duty or reciprocal rela-
tion with Canada and that protection
should be given to independent pro
ducers of oil regardless of whether
this would result in benefits to the
Standard Oil company or not
Taking up first the coal question,
Mr.. Elkins said that coal mining is
the chief industry of West Virginia
and has been for generations He
gave many interesting figures as to
the production of coal and its value at
the mouth of the mine. Speaking of
the value of coal, he said it should
be considered in connection with
transportation for the reason that ii
ciaI purposes until it reaches the point
of distribution and consumption. The
total production of coal in the United
States last year was given at 419,-
100000 tons valued at about $500, ,000.-
600 at the mines The transportation
to points of consumption was esti-
mated to be $6OO,OOO,OOO
According to Mr.. Elkins. the aver
age profit on a ton of bituminous coal
Is about fifteen cents and during the
last two years he asserted that there
had been no profit. The largest fac
tor in producing coal, he said is labor,
which institutes about eighty per cent
of the cost Speaking of the large /
number of people employed in the |
coal mining industry, Mr. EIkns said
that large coal plant is always the
nucleus of town and that the
or the closing of large
and established mines, or their inter-
ment, would destroy whole communi-
lies and towns and bring distress
and ruin to many people
THE coal industry in West Virginia
,an no more be disturbed, injured, or
impaired with great damage" said
Mr. Elkins, than the manufacturing
interests of New England. New York,
New Jersey. and Pennsylvania with
'ut bringing distress upon communi-
les and even disorganized society. ,
Placing low duty on coal would be
disastrous to West Virginia" :
After speaking at length concern
ng the coal industry of Nova Scotia
nd other provinces of Canada, Mr. =
llkins declared that if Nova Scotia In
oal should be made free or the duty I
educed it would in time, as new /
hines are opened and developed, i
radually enter New England and dis
lace the sixteen million tons of coal
ow shipped there from West Virginia, 1
lalyand and Pennsylvania. The eff
ect of this, he said, would be to de-
troy the market for that amount of
american coal and throw out of EN-
loyment from twelve thousand to
fifteen thousand miners and reduce
he wages of the rest.
The operation of the Dingley law
king a rate of 67 cents per ton on
'ituminous coal and Is cents on slack.
aid Mr. Elkins, allows nearly all of
he coal imported from Nova Scotia
o enter the New England market at
he fifteen cent rate. Describing the
manner in which this end is accomp-
ished, the senator said that the Nova
scotia shipper drops the coal into
ailroad cars from an unusual height
nd that the coal is broken still more
y passing it through tubes with
reakers inside in transferring it from
abroad cars to barges When it
caches Boston it is in condition to
ass through half inch screen and
AXE the low duty fixed for slack. AS
lost of the Nova Scotia product is
sed in making coke. it arrives in
)rm suited to the purposes of New
ngland gas manufacturers. Mr. FL
ins offered an amendment defining
oal slack which he believes will pre-
ent this misinterpretation of the law .
In case of low duty or free coal
lore mines would be opened imme- =
lately in Nova Scotia" said Mr. Ell
ins, "and being at the very doors of
lew England and the east. the in
reased production would find a mar
ct which, with the low cost of trans
ortation and cheap labor, would ulti-
lately drive the West Virginia and
aryland Goals out of the New York.
ew England, and New Jersey mar
cts Those results would he So dis