Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-09-27
Is Opinion City Official
in Heart Penna.
Mine Region
kittanning Commerce Secre-
tary Outlines the Situation
as He Sees it-Says Maine
People Must Learn to Use
Observation-Disclosures De-
velopment of white Fuel"
in New England

roads can produce cars enough
right away. larger quantity of bit
luminous coal will be shipped out of
this region for northern points than
most people have surmised, but I
want to repeat what / wrote last
August-that the people of the north
have simply got to make up their
minds to use soft coal for all pur-
poses and for long time to come"
This is the message sent from the
heart of the Pennsylvania bitumin-
Gus coal region to the people of Au-
gusta in letter received this week
by secretary George G. Clark of the
Augusta cham Der of commerce. from
l.. S. Johnson. secretary of
the Kittanning, Penn. chamber of
commerce. Mr.. Johnson's interest
ing letter follows:
II am very glad that the report on
coal that l sent you has been of help.
| think the coal situation is loosen
ing up pretty well here. On Labor
Day. | saw some coal cars being
started out Of here. and l counted
fifty-nine cars, every one of them full
of kittanning coal, and headed north
and l at once thought of YOU and
your constituents in Augusta. Maine"
From what l can learn, the min
ers have settled down to work and
q a 81, 10
ing brought to the surface. In talk
ing with the owners of mines. sever
al of whom l know personally and
meet every day | am told the chief
difficulty now lies in lack of coal cars
to haul away the coal which the min
ers are drawing out AS l under
stand it. a report of the tonnage of
coal produced must be made to the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company at
stated intervals, and unless certain
technicalities are complied with
when the coal mine owners come o
ask for a consignment of empty coal
cars to haul away their coal they
are liable to be refused. This has
happened III one or two cases here,
and in one instance. after consider
able hard work and resorting to UNI
usual means, a few cars were finally
consigned to this coal mine TO be
loaded"
1T would seem that every diff
Guilty is streWn in the path OF the
coal mine owner. First. the men
wouldn't work. and when they would
work. the Railroad Companys men
wouldn't work. and while a consid-
cradle amount of coal is being sent
away from this section. only very
small percentage of the amount of
coal that could be produced and
loaded on freight cars. is being
handled at this time. and the trouble
seems to be largely from lack of
cars"
"Of course, the mines had gotten
into rather depleted physical condi-
tons owing to the many months Of
inactivity. However. | understand a
few men were kept in the mines
pumping out water and watching
things. but most of the electrical
equipment like motors and dynamcs,
had gotten entirely out of ORDER
Il was told a few days ago by one
Of our electricians in the city that they
We're working almost night and day to
tx up the motors and other electrical
appliances that had been injured dur
ing the shut down."
If the people of the north will use
bituminous coal, | believe that the coal
feel also that the price of soft coal
may be boosted to a figure close to
what anthracite has been selling for
in other years. My conviction is that
this boosting will not Re the fault of
the owners of the mines, but will be
the fault Of someone VINO gels the coal
from them.
AS I understand il. the mine owners
would prefer to run their mines steadi-
~, IL months in the year with a rea-
sonable average production, and al
price which would permit Of only
small margin OF profit. l know posi-
lively that most of the mine owners
in This city have lost thousands and
thousands Of dollars through this ur.-
fort mate coal strike which has lasted
since last April
wonder what our friends in the
north would think of business man
who, through certain Conditions, would
lose large amount Of money, not only
in profits but in installed equipment.
and who would not be sorely tempted
to DE-, Use ways and means FIR making
up. if not all of this loss. at least :
considerable portion.
do not understand that his is con-
templated by the mine owners in this
valley, but l do und erstand that they
are facing another crisis en- April lst
CT 1929. and | presume 1 am safe in
saying that the Lord only knows wha:
Will happen in the coal wcIlG on that
date.
feel constrained TO send you this
litt'o word which / nave picked u3
While being on the spot where the Goa.
IS produced ard comirg. as l do, in