Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-12-28
COAL RESERVE ESSENTIAL
NATION HAS NEVER THOUGHT
IN TERMS OF APPREHENSION
American People, With VAST store of
Fuel Tn MNunta.us. Have Not
SRfcEunrdch ThcmSclScN.
N FIR \Nl<bIN Is. LANE.
secretary Oc the Interior.


perhaps per APPS for tho iirst time. THAT i is
yard. And between the tMo there ina y.
DC great gulf fixed.
Much has been said To indicate how
vast are the fields OF coal which this
f tSui holds: It may be. however.
lease from nature a powcr ,iSnt viii
make OF little value our bonitcrous dc
BY the application ton Of the su,,, S'I rnvs
or the use Of the unccasiuE motion
on ihG waves AYE OF nc sen, thr derenI-
upset. But until that day comes We
may consider our coal as til" SurcSt
! n5ar;n On which ncn, We can have tha,
that any industrial rival can present.
1t TX More Than Insurance.
II - more than insurance. is an
asset which can bring to us the
care TO exercise ii. a mastery over the
fa.e and fortunes Of other people.
We have no physical asset as valuable
as our coal deposits. Although we are
sometimes alarmed because those de
ters are rapidly declining and we al
ready gan see within this century the
end OF tho anthracite field. if it is
made TO yield as much continuously as
ton That We have sutiicicn, coal in
IN, ,n United States to last our people
An extra scutticfui on tho fire or
s .hrn1, IN the furnace does, no,
eyer fears other nations may jus
tifablN have as to their ability to con
tin9c , IN the vast rush Of machine
our ability to last.
r., Turns Hna; TO Iden Of Economy.
from a consideration OF how much
we W, can, IKE nnon and do tho days
II should he. Indeed VIC feel justi-
fled in SAYING that the problem of the
strike IS not TO be solved in it's deeper
signifcance until We know much more
anout coal than we now know. and
w ,n,i hHsEeciiaiiE as to ihe manner in
BROUGHT 10 our cellars
This transfer is affected by a kind
OF cnrrier-chain. the links OF which
road. and the public. We choose the
IN, ,hn IN ms chnin upon which We place
~ abuse Of arrogant coal baronS or
diciatorial labor unions il may bc "a
we'll To ask whether we nf tho nubic
are no responsible in some part.
-, rurnH to business Methods.
We DO not refer now to the fail
industrial mediation or other adjust
inrnt of such labor difficulties The
Nu"S' ion is, whether or not the pub
~ : at All at tauit when - nation
wealthy beyond all others in coal finds
itself with so small a supply on hand
wh"n = strike comes-hut a few days
The answer turns anon the manner
IN w, " hicn We have Do. business
We have been content to go with
Each day has broucht it's daily sunpiv.
TherH was no thought Of railroads
STOPPING or mines closing down. so
mat 'nrr" storage facilities have not
been provided. and. indeed, wc should
rebel ut paving for our coal the add
cd cost OF caring for II outside its
niative Warchnuscs We have not
As always in the calm cortainty that
the stream Of supply would TOW vita
out c"nslnr. In some way there would
be coal into which we could driv, our
&hoNcls when need was felt.
Take No ThnUyht for Future
\" wonder therefore. tina, We are
rudeir disturbed when ono link in the
carricr-chain from coal-in- place to
coal in the furnace breaks Not hav-
ing happened sufficiently often to give
us fear. we have no thought tina; we
should provide agains; it. It is a most
find that q hit more foresight on the
part Of the pubic would certainly have
made less sudden INC recent crisis.
year ana SEQ if IL Is no; fixed in some
degree Ky the habit OF the public in
it's purchasing.
The record year. 1919. with cva:v
thing 10 stimulate production. had an
average OF only 249 working dnvs for
he bituIninous mines of the country.
In CEi2 M" average working Year il
under 300 DAYS.
This short year in coal mine opera
Ton l. du" i'm part TO seasonal fiuc-
tuation in demand: The mines aver
during the spring months. Tigh;v ner
cent Of the lost time was dI., to mo
mnrkct." The last week before the