Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-01
PER|LS OF MINING
Senate to Consider Question
When Congress Meets.
INQUIRY TO BE COMPLETE
Information Before Committee Re-
garding Cause of Explosions.
BUREAU MAY BE ESTABLISHED
Authority of National Government
Limited to Research and Edu-
cational Work.
INQUIRY TO BE COMPLETE
BUREAU MAY BE ESTABLISHED

What further steps should the federal
government take to prevent mine acci-
dents. with their attending loss of life?
That IS q question which will he con-
sidered by the Senate committee on mines
and mining shortly after Congress re-
convenes. To aid in the investigations
the Senate asked Secretary Ballinger of
the Interior Department to report on the
work already done by the experts under
him. and the reply will be before the
committee when it holds its first session
this month.
The organization of a federal depart
ment or bureau of mines is favored by
some of the members, the committee be-
ing divided. however. on the question
whether to establish a bureau under one
OF the present cabinet officers or to Gre
ate new department with a cabinet
member at its head
Cause of Mine Explosions.
In reply to the request of the Senate for
information and recommendations Sec
rotary Ballinger reported that one main
and three auxiliary federal stations.
equipped with rescue apparatus, have
been established in connection with the
Investigations as to the cause of mine
explosions. He recommends the estab-
lishment Of nine more stations and esti-
mates the cost of equipment and main
tenance for one year at $l61,tOO
The urgency of investigation work. Sec
rotary Ballinger says. is emphasized by
the fact that as the coal mines are be-
coming deeper the gas is becoming more
abundant and the mines correspondence
mi further fact
that the number of accidents and the
loss of life has been increasing during
recent years.
Government Function Limited.
LAS to the action that the federal gov
eminent should take to prevent or at
least minimize mine accidents" Secretary
BaIlinger continues. lit is assumed that
in mining. as in agriculture, the function
of the federal government is strictly linn
tied to research and educational or
demonstration work, and therefore its
function in relation to safeguarding the
lives Of miners must be limited to inveS-
LEGATIONS Of the causes and means of pre-
venting mine accidents. developing meth
DDS of rescue work. and enough of demon
stration or educational work to induce
mine operators and miners TO adopt these
measures. under state supervision, and
to lead the state to enact more uniform
mining regulations.
1T is on this basis that the additional
branch stations described above are
recommended. 1t is believed that they
will be adequate for the purposes named
and that the work of these stations will
be sufficient to induce coal operators and
coal-mining states to ultimately establish
sufficient number of small local stations
for ordinary rescue work in each OF the
important mining centers.
vfsti rot inr
along with researches to develop causes
and preventive measures. every effort Is
being made, and with reasonable expecta-
ton Of success. to find ways OF cheaper
ing the cost of rescue equipment and
methods. with view to their more gen.
eral introduction by states and individual
operators.
Preventive Measures Important.
1T is therefore reasonable to expect
that, as progress is made in the investi-
cation and demonstration work at these
several branch stations OF the federal
government, preventive rather than rescue
measures will increase in Importance; that
most Of these federal stations can then be
discontinued. and that whatever rescue
enforcement of preventive measures. be
thorities.
Conditions involving mine safety are
more uniform than are agricultural con-
ditions, being less influenced by climatic
changes. Hence these mine Investigations
and inquiries, though conducted at these
few stations. are Of value to the people of
all the states, and this value is increased
by the fact that the experts of the fed
eral government collecting data from all
the states and the various foreign mining
countries bring to these problems in each
state the results OF this wider experience
and method. with minimum duplication
of cost and effort Fortunately in most
of the states the larger mine disasters
occur SO rarely that several years may in
tervene without opportunity for mine ex-
ara:nations or rescue work under compli-
Gated conditions; and in such cases espe-
cially experts from the federal investiga-
ton stations would be able to render spe-
cial service to the state authorities by
virtue of their more frequent and wider
experience under equally complicated con-