The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1913-10-02
VALUE AND EXTENT OF COAL IN
MICHIGAN DETERMINED BY
EXPERTS.
WAGES HIGHER THAN IN OTHER
FIELDS.
Attorney General Passes On Points
In the Pray Law and Holds That
II Applies to Local option
Counties only.
IBy Gurd M. Hayes.l

Lansing, Mich.-State geologist, r.
G.. Allen and the board of STATE tax
commissioners have completed ten
tative appraisal of the coal land and
coal mines of Saginaw and Bay coun-
! ties. Nearly all of the developed coal
beds in the state are contained In
! those two counties, although coal has
Oeen mined in a number of other To-
| calities outside of these two counties
in the past and some operations are
in progress at the present time in
other counties. However, Geologist
Allen says that more than 80 per cent
of the proven coal areas are in the
counties of Saginaw and Bay.
In making the appraisals of the coal
properties the tax commission secured
the services of State Geo ogist r. c.
Allen. Mr.. Allen was assisted in this
work by Assistant State Geologist r.
A. Smith and he has satisfied the COM
mission that he is thoroughly compe-
tent to supervise this work The APP
praisers have made maps showing in
detail the location, acreage, thickness,
tonnage and quality of every known
bed of minable coal in Saginaw and
Bay counties They also have made
careful investigation of the financial
operations of the coal companies
They have submitted a report in
which they have given full descrip-
ton of the Michigan field and have eX-
planned carefully all of the conditions,
both physical and financial, which
govern the mining of coal in Michi-
gan and have made comparisons with
such coal producing states as Pennsyl-
vania New Jersey and Ohio.
All this work has been done for the
purpose of making a precise deter
mination of the value of ton of coal
in the ground in Michigan. Coal beds
have been divided into two classes,
those which are now being mined and
those which have been developed by
drilling but from which coal has not
yet been produced. Coal beds that
are too thin to be mined, or of such
poor quality as to be unmarketable
at any price have been excluded as
worthless. In general, it appears from
the Investigations which have been
made that the Michigan coal bed must
: be at least 80 inches thick in order
to be mined at a profit The recovery
from a bed of coal on the average is
about 1000 tons per acre foot. This
: is, 1000 tons is obtained from an acre
of coal one foot thick, although in
order TO be mined the coal must be
at least 80 inches thick A bed of this
: thickness viii produce about $500
tons per acre.
The appraisers find that there exists
in Saginaw and Bay counties a total
of 3,795 900 tons of coal which has
been developed by drilling or under
ground entries which are yet un'
I, mined. OF this amount 100000 tons
are tributary to shafts which are now
in operation and Is, 200, 900 tons are in
the beds which have not yet been
opened for mining operations. The
investigation also shows the very in
teresting fact that If the mines pro
duce at the average rate of produc
ton which has been maintained dur
ing the past five years the total min
/, able coal beds now known in these
= counties will be exhausted in Is years
=. Further than this, Geologist Allen
:. SAYS that the coal which is now trib
; utary to operating shafts will be eX
= hausted in four years at the same
!. rate, providing the undeveloped re
serves are not drawn upon.
!. AS a final result of the calculations
made in the report which has beer
!, submitted to the state tax commission
nv ha Of tho oanlnOi0a
4, survey, it is concluded thai the min
= able coal beus which ere tributary t
= mines now in operation, are worth OF
: an average of $3.50 per acre and tn,
corresponding value of coal beds
which have no shafts or other under
ground entries in them is worth $40
= per acre There are 1876 acres o
: proven coal tributary to operating
shafts and 5,6O1 acres of coal which
has not been opened up by shafts o.
!, underground entries. Geologist Allel
). places a tentative valuation of $561
!, 900 on the coal properties of Saginaw
a county and $6S9,000 on the Bay coun
ty mines.
This value includes in all cases tn,
:" value of the mine plant, the machiner.
, and equipment, but It does not Include
a in any case the surface value OF thu
~ acreage such as farm lands, or rea
A estate such as buildings which ar
y not a part of the actual mine plant.
State Geologist Allen finds that thu
, wages and general social condition.
A surrounding the Michigan coal mine
n are better than are found elsewher'
70 in the United States, and while thu
n cost per ton of mining coal in Mich
" gan is higher on account OF, amonI
n other things the higher wages pai'
A to the miner, the industry has com
.. mendable position in maintaining
IL relatively high standard of wages AM
a living for the miners, even at the cos
of reduced profits to the operators.