The sun., 1918-08-04
Conservation Of Workers Is
Urged to Prevent Fam
inc in Fuel.
TONNAGE Is CUT DOWN
Call of War Has Taken
Many From Mines-Places
Untitled.
ny NJ. d. EDMONDs.
ARTICLE I.

will save the United States from another
hard coal shortage next winter They
are mild weather. as compared with
last year, and the rigid conservation Of
the labor force now in the hard GOAL
mines.
There has been a emendous drain
on the labor supply In the anthracit
fields during the last few years. FIRST
by munition plants and now by the mil
itary draft and voluntary enlistmsnts.
For four years there has been no Inn
migration to help make good these
drains. and to-day the actual working
force in the mines is % per cent
less than It was about four years
ago, or about $4,000 men and boys.
against the previous high record Of
about $4,000.
Yet under this heavy handicap it Is
pretty generally agreed by hard coal
operators that 1t will be possible to
pull through the coming winter without
any real suffering for want Of anthra-
cite. always provided that there are no
further calls on labor for military or
munition service. All sorts of expe-
dents have been put into effect to Gre
ate and maintain increased tonnage. but
, 1t Is now frankly admitted by operators
that a point has been reached where
the loss Of every additional man hurts.
1t is true that. as given out by Fran
els A. Lewis, County Fuel Administrator
in Philadelphia 42.41s cars were shipped
from the anthracite mines in the week
ended July 10, as compared with 81 400
for the week ended JULY 6 "a week in
GLIDING one OF the few general holt
| days taken by the mines). but this APP
parent gain Is apparent only, since II ,64I
cars were shipped in the week ended
June 20 and 1880 in the week ended
June To- For tho week ended July 20
only 1864 cars were shipped. The
truth is that anthracite production Is
now about the maximum for this year
and that as soon as fair weather passes
decrease may be expected.
Labor shortage Cuts Tonnage.
In Philadelphia and other munition
towns the lack Of houses Is a trouble
some question. In Shamokin. which can
he taken az a typical mining town Of
the lower region. there are more vacant
houses than have been reported for a
long time. The shifting OF labor has
left the coal towns wofully short. in
spite If the fact that coal Is the first
| essential NJ the supply line behind the
army.
There +. probably not one mine in
the hard coal country which could not
| use more men to-day. Every mining
| company Is short. though the percent
I, ages vary. For instance, tho Lehigh
Valley Coal Company Is reported 10 be
/ from 10 per cent. to Is per cent. short,
while the Susquehanna Galleries Com
pany. under which name the Hanna in
| terests operate the big chain OF mines
bought last year from the Pennsylvania
Railroad, is about 81 per cent. short,
having roughly 1900 hands where 1890
| are needed. The inevitable effect Is seen
| in tonnage. which Is running perhaps
$4,000 tons daily. against the $4,000 or
more which should be recorded.
Labor shortage varies with individual
! companies in different districts. The
general average for the Susquehanna is
81 per cent. as given above. but in the
| lower. or Shamokin. district OF that
companys holdings the shortage is re-
ported to be at least 90 per cent
This is not surprising when It is noted
that in Shamokin unofficial statistics
say that $500 men in the last eighteen
| months or so have left the town to en-
| ter military service OF 10 work in NUM-
| tion plants. AS the population OF town
! and township Is about 10000. and there
| could hardly be more than 10000 to
| $4,000 men over is years in the com
munity. this means Grain Of at least
quarter OF the labor. This drain con-
! tinues: last month between sixty and
seventy men were called out OF Sha-
mokn by the military authorities.
plan for Conservation.
| To conserve the labor supply the coal
companies have taken up the question
OF having miners exempted from mil
I itary duty. as has been the practice In
| Great Britain and other countries en-
gagged in war. A general meeting o.
draft boards. mine representatives and
| an agent OF Gen. Crowder was held re-
Gently at Wilkesoarre. with no other re-
| suit than a general decision that it was
up to the draft boards, In their own
| judgment. to give miners deferred clas-
| slfication. There are some difficulties
in the way OF putting this into effect
which will be pointed out later.
| According to an ostimnte made by the
| Miners Bank Of Wilkesbarre. which Is
unusually well Informed on matters OF
this sort, drafts and enlistments have
taken away II per cent. Of the men In
| the mines. About 1000 mine workers
| were taken In the draft call OF last June
| At least so per cent. OF the draft regis
| trants In the hard coal counties OF Car.
bon, Columbia, Luzerne. Lackawanna
Northumberland. Susquehnnna, Dauphir
and Schuyikill tho bank finds. are mine
workers. In tho Wyoming field, the
bank estimates. 80 to 35 PEI cent OF the
men employed in mining and shipping
coal have been taken by the military
forces or war Industries.
! Schuylkill county. where the over
wheleiing majority OF the people are con
cerned in the mining of coal OF In in.
dustries directly connected with Its prep
aration and transportation, has already
sent $500 men to the army. This il
about 8 per cent. Of the total population
but II Is s per cent. of the man power, al
based upon the vote cast for Judges II
1915. Naturally the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company. which
on the whole has probably not suffered
SO heavily as some CT the others. is the
chief loser by this lessening of mar
power in Schuylkill county.
Effect on Individual Mines.
Virtually every mine in the anthracite
country could be held up as an example
o. how this essential labor has beer
taken away. Fred Caldwell. superintend
ent for the Reading In the ShamokiI
district, pointed out a handsome fsgpol,
erected at the Burnside colliery and re
marked that It was intended for tho col
liery service nag.
How many stars?" he was asked.
Seventy" was the reply.
"Out OF how many employees"
About &c." he said.
In other words Burnside has givei
more than 10 per cent. OF its working
force to the war
We'll" said Edward Brennan, gen
| 10 ~. ~