The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-06-13

OuItcu OtuJoS Will again uFOp uOWu
\ to prewar production figures.
/ This means that, with sufficient
mines opened in the United States
1 to provide an even greater tonnage
( in 1919 than was mined in 1918,
there is a possible overproduction
/ from the war situation alone of more
1 than 100.00O,000 tons.
/ In the intermountain country
there have been opened in Utah and
Wyoming some ten or twelve new
mines, which will mean an increase
| over prewar production of eight or
nine thousand tons day.
! Mines Work Half Time
Because of lack of demand for
coal, the coal miners of the United
States are working only half time.
There we're employed in 1918 1907
900 miners, against 100000 miners
in 1915. Now that the war is over,
another $4,000 miners will return
to the mines from the army.
The fuel old situation is such that
the shipping board has turned the
entire merchant marine Of the United
States into oil burning ships, and
the increase in the production of fuel
oil is such that large numbers Of
factories on the eastern coasts are
changing their coal-burning plants
to oil fuel plants.
With the war over and ships be-
z coming more plentiful, Australian
and British Columbia Goals will
again become available for the west
ern coast, and Canadian coal for the
northwestern markets thru the
Spokane gateway.
Railroads Use Less Fuel
During the 1918 season, because Of
the great amount of traffic due to
war conditions, the railroads of the
United States burned 80 per cent of
the total bituminous output of the
country. The decrease in traffic has
become so great that the railroads
are using less than two-thirds of the
coal they did in 1918.
Metal mining operations in the in
termountain country have decreased
to the point where they are consum-
ing only two-thirds of the coal they
did in 1918.
All of these conditions point to .
vast overproduction.
Tie transportation facilities on the
Unicn Pacific railroad in 1918, de-
srite the strain due to war cOndi-
lions, were such that for the first
time in ten years the Rock Springs
mines had full car supply. With
the last lap of the double track
- this system finished and a de-
crease in traffic because OF the cessa-
I ton of the war, officials of this road
assure the Rock Springs operators
that there is little possibility of a
car shortage in the Rock Springs
district this coming year.
Railway Aids Mines
In the Utah field, prior to 1918,
only one railroad served the Carbon
county coal district. In 1918 the
Utah railway began operation, and
with large purchases of new coal
cHrs this road relieved the Utah coal
mines of any car shortage. This
was the first year this railroad OPP
Grated and it is reasonable to assume
it will gain in efficiency as time con-
tinues.
I quote the following from the Ma
tional Coal associations Weekly Di-
gest of May 21, 1919, which gives
the latest information on the car
situation:
AN estimated surplus of from
i 10000 to 100000 open top cars
turnout the country is reported by
the federal trade information service
in an article containing the state
ment that the railroad administra-
. ton has been making efforts to have
the companies take over the new
! cars purchased during the war at
prices around $4,000 each. The
. companies officers, the service says,
co not feel that the plan is wise at
present. The surplus of box cars
I is placed by the service at an esti-
mated total of 1875, 1000.
The railroad administration in
herlted shortage which had begun
in the fall of 1916 and continued
down thru 1917.
8 Car Shortage Vanishes
con January 1, 1918, there was
"a net shortage of 10000 and on
March /, 1918, net shortage of
4 $4,000. but on May 1 this had been
changed to surplus Of $4,000.
There was a comfortable surplus for
the rest of 1918, which jumped from
Il 81, 900 on November l to 49, on
December 1, after the signing'of the
armistice and which increased
rapidly until March this year"
You will note from this that even
under the stringent conditions of
( war, the railroad organizations, thru
the pooling of cars, had been so
stspeeded up that there was a COM
Portable surplus Of cars from May
IA, 1918, up until the armistice was
signed, and since that time this sur
plus of cars has been gradually
growing.
Therefore, it is reasonable to sup
pose that with 100000 more coal
miners I'm the United States than we
1ad in Eprewar times, with an over
production of 100,000,000 to $780,
)00,O 00 tons i'm 1918 in excess of
orewarb tihnes, and with the wonder
fully Improved railroad facilities in
This western coiintfy, stogether with
The polling Of 1carsE and with the