The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1913-07-23
Hon. r. w. Aus
tin On Free
Coal.

~N'S 700 W Pih'C NOoi WI biit
free list, Representative II w
Austin, of Knoxville, said:
Mr.. Austin Mr.. Chairman,
this is the old fight over again
that we have had here before,
led by certain New England
interests that want everything
protected that they produce,
but at the same time want free
raw material and cheaper fuel.
! Certain Boston and New Eng.
land interests got into our last
Republican tariff bill as il left
the House this same provision
putting coal on the free list.
MIR. Chairman, West Virginia
and Maryland are largely sup
plying New England with it's
fuel supply by rail and water
transportation 1t is true that
we import coal, and by placing
coal on the free list we will de-
prive the Treasury of the United
1 States of an annual tariff duty
of S5lS, 46S the value of the coal
aud coke imported being So,
927, 1923. and the total quantity
in tons l,3G7 ,06S. BY placing
coal on the free list New Eng
land will import coal from Nova
Scotia, and in that country the
coal is from 10 to - feet i'm
thickness The operations are
owned and controlled by Cana
dian and Boston capitalists,
and You viii prevent the West
Virginia and Maryland opera
tors from ever selling any more
cnal IN the New England mark
cts. With cheap water trans
portation the Nova Scotia oper
tors will ship their coal down
the South Atlantic coast, and
with free coal will drive from
the markets of the southern
sracoust towns, cities, u Il
nearby communities coal that
is furnished from the coal fields
of Virginia, Kentucky and Ten
ncssec.
When we have completed the
Panama Canal the vessels now
| going TO the Orient through the
Suez Canal will cross the At
lhntic Ocean and pass through
the Panama Canal When they
reach this side of the Atlantic
lose they will have to recoal.
This item in this bill makes
ii possible for the Nova Scotia
people To ship by cheap water
transportation the output q f
their mines and supply the Flu
ropean vessels going through
the Panama Canal TO the Orient
with coal, so that this bill
means injury to great indus-
try in the States of Tennessee,
Kentucky and Virginia When
the West Virginia operators
lose the New England coal
market, having invested thous
ands ard thousands of dollars
in plants, in railroads, in coal.
mining towns, with an army OF
industrial workers, they must
either retire from business or
find n market elsewhere. They
will find that market in our
own country, in the interior, in
, competition with the coal mined
in Tennessee and Kentucky.
SO that this proposed Iegisla
. ton does effect the interest OF
the district represented by my
! colleague from Kentucky (Mr
Langley 1t affects the Goa
district represented by the gen.
tleman from Virginia (Mr
Slemp). The l.. q N, tn,
Southern the Three C's, anC
Rogers Railroads have bull
their low grade coal roads t.
, the seaboard, anticipating til,
increased demand for coal il
Fthis country by the completion
of the Panama Canal, but you
are taking from the American
coal operators and the Ameri
can wage earners the opportun
ity of supplying that marke
: aud giving a favorable chanc,
, and opportunity for a foreign
century, with foreign Goals
with foreign miners, To conn
in and take from the American
= in whole or in part an Ameri
, can market. | protest agains
! . Q a.. e Il