The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-17
DebardeLaben Presents Facts and Figures h
 Regard to Coal Tax
By W. J. ROLES

Montgomery, July 16.-(Special.) )-Facts and figures presented by Henry T. De- bardeleben of Birmingham in discussing the proposed coal tonnage tax before the ways. means and appropriation commit tee of the house of representatives to- day do not make very pleasant reading for Alabamians. Neither are they vel come to the ears of those who would tax the industrial development of the Bir- mingham district to meet the eVer-in- cfeasing expenses of the state.
 A large delegation of Birmingham coal operators was present when Chairman Dunnaway called the committee to- gether in the chamber of the house of representatives. The senate committee on finance and taxation met with the house committee. The session began about o'clock and Mir. Debardeleben only ac- cepted the floor until 6 o'clock, when adjournment was taken until tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.
 MT. Debardeleben came prepared with statements showing the production cost and profits earned by his company in May, 1916, and May, 1919 He went into the details of production, showing the cost of labor, materials, supplies, trans portation, insurance and every other item of expense. The conclusion drawn from his statements, substantiated by figures taken from the books of his company, is , that coal operators in Alabama will not 'ee a, very large contributor to the in come and excess profits tax fund
 'Of all the coal mined in the United States" said MT. Debardeleben, "only 3 per cent is washed and one-half of that is mined in Alabama. The special tax applies to the rock state and dirt as well as the coal, and when that is taken ont ha fay wi ha ntS i'm of Sixty-fve per cent of Alabama coal is sold outside of the state where com petition is strong and the operators could not pass the tax on to the consumers, and for that reason the 5 per cont sold in the state would have to bear the whole tax, or about 15 cents a ton to Alabama consumers. It has been a strug- gle for markets with Alabama ever since the first mine was opened. The market is confined to small territory, as the small increase in production shows, and our lines are being pushed in on all sides, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia coal on the north and east, Kentucky, Tennes- see and Illinois coal on the west, and Mexican and Texas oil on the south
 In 1914 one ocean vessel in fifty was an oil burner, now thirty per cent of them burn oil
 MT. Debardeleben read from a copy of the Debardeleben Coal company cost showing the contrast between May. 1919, and May, 1916. In May. 1916, they paid GA cents ton for mining; in May, 1919, 11.SS cents; yardage 4.6 cents and 2s.4 respectively; haulage 9 cents and 16.5 cents; dump on tippe AZ cents and 8.5 cents; general day labor cents and 16.S cents; repairs and upkeep of tracks, 4.6 and 30.6 cents; increased cost in 1919 over 1916 $1.29. Added to this outside men, superintendents of
 
 expenses and administrati tive office ex- penses and the total increase in cost in May, 1919, over May, 1916, is $2.06 ton. The selling price increased to $2.16.
 Mir. Debardeleben said the bill under consideration imposed on ad voloren tax, franchise tax, income and excess pro- |. fits tax. tonnage tax. and besides a 'werkman's compensation act is pro posed that will cost coal operators about ten cents a ton.
 He said Alabama had lost tonnage in the last year amounting to two million