New Britain herald., 1920-03-12
than 25 per cent. of the working year
 Effect on Labor and Operator.

Effect on Labor and Operato The effect of this insta biity of em- ployment upon the labor situation is expressed by the following para l graph from the report: Tt is perhaps significant that there is a rough rela- t1on between the loss of working time and the degree of unionization. These bituminous regions in which inter- ruptlons to operation are most pro- nounced show q tendency to become union territory. The presence of the unlon Is both cause and effect. Wage disputes cause lost time: but on the other hand irregular employment is in itself prime incentive to unioniza- tion. The act of irreSularity in work ing time is thus indisputable, and it's extent is shown to be everywhere great, and everywhere it reacts un- favorably upon all who have a share in producing soft coal, and all who have a share in consuming it. It's injurious effect is perhaps most evi- dent on the welfare of the miner. To him It means direct and imm ediate loss Of wages. In long periods of idle ness following a business depression it drives him to seek employment else where, in other industries. The fact that We find the same large labor turnover. and the tendency to migra-
 
 blind us to the fact that these are causes as we'll as symptoms of indus trial unrest. The question may even be raised whether irregular employ ment IS not largely responsible for the failure of coal miners to take full ad- vantage of the opportunity to work when the mines are open. Regular employment breeds regular habits and irregular employment breeds ir- regular Ina bits''
 In It's way the case of the operator is just as trying. His capital lies idle during the enforced respites from ac- tivity, and his mine equipment de- teriorates. Fixed charges run along whether the works are shut down or running full time, and these are not confined to interest and salaries alone, but include host of nlainte- nance costs as we'll Such losses fig ure directly against the consumer, since the smaller the number of tons produced by a mine the larger the share of the fixed overhead must be borne bE each ton.
 Then there is the effect of all this upon the transportation companies. As the report points out, the coal mine is the railroads largest shipper, and the railroad is also the largest COHSuIllcI ol CURL SOl1lS COHleuu that coal is the nucleus around which the railroad system of the country is built. There are now invested in coal cars throughout the country some thing like one and a third billion dollars. If these cars must stand idle on sidings for much of the time, because the mines are shut down and not affording them material to haul, the loss to- the carriers is readily perceived. X coal car is not a deli cate mechanism but it's deterioration, even when not in use, is appreciable. Moreover, all that unemployed cap ital constitutes a burden that the shipper must eventually bear. Again, when it is understood that about one third of the total tonnage of the railroads is coal, and that about one fifth of their total freight revenue is derived from that source, the con- clusion is unavoidable, as the reports state. that seasonal fluctuations in coal affect profoundly the earning power of the carriers.
 Where the Remedy Lies.
 It is through the betterment of the seasonal demand on the part of the relatively few classes of consumers that the remedy seems to lie. The re- port urges the discussion of the pro- posal for summer discounts on the price of the coal, and the prom u ga tion of freight rates that will tend to