The chronicle=news., 1913-01-17

| Washington, Jan. l.-OuT min
cr's life Is snutfed out with every
] $4,000 tons of coal mined In the
| United States. In 1907 when the
federal bureau of mines was begin
ming It's work the ratio was greater:
one life was given with every lii,-
200 tons. Dr. Joseph 4 Holmes. dl-
rector or the United States bureau Of
mines. in his annual report To Sec
retarv Fisher attributes IN" de-
IcTease In III. mortality to the fed
,.ral governments work in the min
/ ing fields. and points out now tho
enormous death list may he stiIl fur
th.r reduced.
While much remains TO be done,
Including broad extension OF the
Investigation OF accident and rescue
work 30 that 1t Will inciud. metal
and other mineral mines a. well as
coal mines. Dr. Holmes shows that
whereas there was an average OF a."3
men killed for every l .0u, 600 tons Of
coal mined in 1907. this number de-
creased steadily TO eos in 1905. TO
5.sS the next year. 5s6 in 1910.
AND SIS in the calendar year 1911.
The figures for III. year just closed
III is estimated. will show further
decrease IN the death rate.
Tn. death rat" in the metal min.
- OF the country is nearly as nigh
he declares. as in the coal fields.
averaging more than three men per
thousand employed: the death rat.
In the puarrlcs l. larger than II
should he. averaging far more than
that In foreign quarries. and the
sam" t. true In metnllurgical plants.
He recommends. therefore. that III.
bureau be given money to carry its
mine-accidcnt Investigation into
these other fields In larger measur"
than the limited appropriations 30
far granted have allowed
The enormous annual loss In min
ing and preparing coal for market.
the huge waste Of natural gas. ns
well as lack of .fflo.ency and waste
in the metal mining industries are
mentioned by Dr. liolmcs- This cN-
travagancc OF natural resources. he
asserts. should he checked.
Pioneer educational work. tempo
rary In character" Is the way In
which the director refers to the mine
rescue and first aid work among the
more than 100000 miners in the o.
900 mines OF the country Ultimately
this must he taken ear. OF. he says.
by the coal mining companies
through the training and orGaniza-
ton OF miners at each OF the larger
mines or groups OF mines. He states
that already number OF compa nics
maintain rescue stations At their
own expense. The CHIEF purpose OF
the bureau Of mines is 10 train min
lcrs in first aid. mine rescue and fire
fighting methods: and he adds that
during the year more than "".o0o
miners have attended the lectures
and demonstrations given from the
mine safety ears: more than 600
additional miners received training
sufficient 10 enable them to partici-
pate In actual minc rescue work. and
more than ,wic. that number have
been added 10 tho list OF miners train
ed in first aid practice
/ Health conditions In and about
mines should he Investigated. in the
.'ilNlDN tl III IiNiil'-s fTFlIIilHtlF
Inquiries, he says. have indicated
tho prevalence OF tuberculosis and
THE presence OF hookworm as min
ers' diseases in several different To-
icalitlcs In the United States. II is
I important that this work should he
extended rapidly, because of the fact
that the health conditions. as well
as the risk of accidents. may be in
Ifluenced by conditions susceptible Of
easy Improvement
The large and continuous influx
OF foreigners into the mining reg
ions of the United States may bring
to an Increasing extent the hook
worm and other diseases that exist
in mines in parts OF certain Euro
rcan countries. Various questions
that concern tile health OF workers
in mines, Quarrics and metallurgicnl
. plants cannot be answered. finally