New-York tribune., 1918-07-17
Owners Say Efficiency of
Mines Loses a Third by
Use of Liquor
Weekly "Spree" Uses
Up Time of Workers
Manager at Windber, Penn,
Wants Prohibition to AS
sure Winter Fuel
By Theodore Nj. knappen

By Theodore M. Knappen
PITTSBURGH, July 16.-There is no
,oke in the demand of the bituminous
coal producers for national prohibition.
They are in deadly earnest They mean
Just what they say when they say that
an indispensable condition OF such a
production of coal as Will avoid grave
crisis next winter is the immediate
application of prohibition.
visited yesterday at Windber
one OF the largest and best con-
ducted mining operations in America,
that Of the Berwind Coal Company.
This company is capable OF pro-
ducne $4,000 tons Of coal a day
at the Windbcr mines. 1t is pro-
ducjng 10000 tons, and the manager told
me that if he were tc have effective
prohibition in Windber he could pro
duce the $1,000 tons without employing
an additional man. He solemnly de-
clared that there was no other single
item in the programme of maximum
production to compare with prohibi-
ZION.
Saturday "Sprees" Costly
This is the way liquor acts as q re-
tarder of production. The men are
paid, in accordance with the law, every
two weeks on Saturday. In consequence
Of the indulgence in drink that fol-
lows payday it is not until the second
Tuesday following that the mines are
up to their maximum output, LEAVING
only five days out of twelve in which
they can be considered as doing their
full duty at this time.
Windber is said to be the largest
exclusive coal mining town in America.
1t has population of 10000 and the
nearest approach to another form of
industry than coal mining is the brew
cry. This little city has nine licensed
saloons, seventeen miners drink ng
clubs and one wholesale liquor hou e.
Ihe clubs run night and day, inc uding
Sundays. Most of the miners belong
TO tnem hat the men cannot get in
the way of booze at the saloons or he
clubs the local wholesale house as we'll
as wholesale houses at outside points
oring to their homes. The solicitor of
the wholesale houses calls from once
10 enfee tunes day at every miners
nome. Ii he is turned down bv the
wife on the first two calls he is pre- tv
sure to catch the tired miner himself
on the third call.
Discipline Is Impossible
Following the payday celebration it
is no unusual thing to find miners
asleep on the car tracks in the drifts
with their lamps out. There is no pos
sibIllty OF disciplining such miner in
these times. he is a piece worker, and
ence ne reports for work his time is
ms own and at the least expression of
dissatisfaction he can walk out and find
ready employment iii another mine In
addlton to the regular payday drink
ing bouts, there are the numerous feast
days OF the churches to which these
miners, mostly foreign born, belong.
Notwithstanding the loyal coopera-
uoh OF the priests in trying to per-
Suade the miners to work on these
GAYS. Tong established custom of treat
lng them as days of convivialty makes
days N'' III 10
=, ne men are of q rather good type on
'ne whole. and when sober are very
susceptible to appeals to their higher
nature and to their patriotism. That
cans to mind the fact that the by-prod-
ucts OF excessive drinking are as harm
lui 10 efficiency as the direct conse-
quences. AS one mine manager put it:
iou can't reason with a drunken
man or one with hangover headache
ana depressing reaction"
orinKlng not only reduces the normal
amount of work, but makes it quite
impossible to inspire the men to do
mofe tnan the normal amount, which
lney could easily do. The nominal
working week is forty eight hours.
re" OF the miners work more than
m'tty-hvc or forty and large pro-
portion o. them work many hours less.
Gould Meet Needed Quota
ihere are enough men in those
n.'"es Is and most others. short handed
90, uey are by reason of the draft,
daVU.ua4nteerlng and diversion to other in
uustrIes, to produce the mines full
quota of coal if an approximation of
=. Iuil working day could be realized.
\! tne Windber mines which are cxcep-
u'y mon'aily we'll managed and where the
;"oiAlhg conditions, as we'll as the liv-
ans environment. are especially good,
ore producing only two thirds as much
.ual as they should, it is fair to pre-
;uMe that inferior mines are not de-
ing as we'll.
me bituminous coal operators do
s, sv. unit their programme for the
Sb.'maiatlon of coal production, which
so "as peen submitted to President Will
S,,. SS"n ior his Endorsement, to prohibition,
~, ~. 'hey unreservedly affirm the adop-
of on ~ oi prohibition as the fundamental
u tnelr programme.
Nnen | came to the mines | was
ssseptical of the sincerity of the oper-
so0ts production committee in laying
tu two much stress on prohibition. After
~ ~ Gays IN the mines l know that
wSy uJey mean mean what they say and know
"ny they mean it,
coaI aII Is truly case of no booze or less