The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-09

have it run six or seven months in
The year at no profit, and then have
q peak load at profit which leads to
the bowls and condemnation of the
coal industry which we have in the
fall and winter"
Constructive Suggestions.
Questioned as to whether he had
any constructive suggestions to make
that would tend to produce fairer
arrangement of prices and one that
would not permit the government to
get cheap coal at the expense Of the
sAall consumer. Mr.. TAYLOR said:
LAS matters now stand there is
always time every summer when
the railroads sidetracks are full of
empty coal cars. when others are
living idle and the men who make
their living in the mines are out of
employment because the mines have
no orders for their product The
railroads csef as I said before. prac-
tica'ly thirty per cent Of the bitumi-
nous output When there is no bust
ness in the mines. they naturally
have no business for their coal cars
or that class Of eouipment that is,
peculiar to the coal business If the
railroads could arrange to take their
coal supply at the time Of the year
when their equipment is idle. and
when the mines are idle. they would
accomplish three very important
things.
an the first place thew would get
their supply Of coal into storage.
They would use that IDLE equipment
and would keep the men at the mines
employed and would relieve the labor
unrest AS it is now, the men are
thrown into period of idleness for
three. or four, or five months every
wear. II their employment could he
more regular it would not be so
necessary to make demands for
higher rates per ton in an effort to
get whole wears living cut Of a
few months activity In other words,
the more regular employment would
largely offset the labor unrest. It
would use the idle equipment that is
doing nothing but lying on a side
at a time Of the wear when il was
possible to dig it and it would re-
lieve the equipment for the use of
the public in the fall and winter time
when the public so badly needs coal
An equal distribution of the coal over
twelve months instead of over six
months would have a tendency to
lower prices and make less labor
unrest. 1t would also make better
use Of railroad equipment and would
stabilize the industry all along"
The Real Problem.
Mr.. J D. A. Morrow, Vice Presi-
dent Of the National Coal Associa.
ton. who preceded Mr., Taylor before
the Committee. said that the essen
tial problem. as the operators see it.
Is that Of getting enough coal pro-
duced.
However" he added. "there is
some general idea in the mind Of the
public which has been advanced
by people. who, perhaps, feel
that they are well informed, that
there Is some kind Of combination in
the bituminous coal industry. We
went TO state fatty and emphatical-
~ that there 10 no combination to
maintain prices or to restrict produc-
ton. or in any other way to inter-
fere with the natural influences upon
the conditions In the production and
marketing Of bituminous coal We
20 further and say that the condi-
tons in the business are such that
it would be impossible for anybody
to form such combination even if
he would try.
There are about 5000 separate
commercial producers operating ap-
proximately 1000 mines, from which
bituminous coal 10 regularly shipped.