The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1922-06-30
THE BROKEN YEAR
AND HOW TO MEND 1T
BY George Otis Smith, Director, Unit
cd States Geological Survey ,
Washington, ID. G.

novel. The popular feeling toward
coal has always b en- a sort of Irish
variety of chills and fever. The av-
erage citizen doesn't get thoroughly
warmed up on the coal question until
he begins to get chilly. Thus II hap
pens that a midsummer coal shortage
Is likely to be lukewarm affair.
Yet disregard Of unpleasant facts
does not stave off disaster. Paraly-
sis OF industry and transportation on
a countrywide scale Is the natural
outcome of coal shortage II carried
to the extreme that can not be many
weeks distant. Serious as the pres
ent situation is, however, there are
fundamental problems more insistent
for solution than even the pending
differences between employer and
employee. These basal problems af-
feet the whole coal industry to some
degree but especially the bitumnous
branch. Clear up the economies of
the business and a lasting settlement
of labor controversy would become q
possibility; leave these questions un-
answered and industrial peace can
not be expected to SURVIVES the usual
two year armistice.
What coal producers and coal con-
sumers alike need is reform OF the
business rather than compromise be-
tween parties TO the controversy, and
In this reform II is absolutely essen
tial that the mine worker should CO.
operate with the mine operator. Two
long have the mine owners treated
the coal business as private privilege
and too long have the labor leaders
with no less monopolistic attitude OBJ
structed every move for underground
efficiency and economy. The peoples
coal costs too much because Of the
mistaken idea that mine owner and
mine worker can continue to fight
over contracts and rules. Cheaper
coal and larger earnings will come
when engineering is emphasized more
and bargaining less.
In terms of engineering, the coal
industry has n bad loan factor;
translated into human relations.
poorly functioning mines mean poor
ly employed miners. A longer work
ing year would seem at first glance,
desirable to mine owner, mine work
or. and consumer alike, Why not
get It?
The trouble with our soft coal
mines is not so much the broken year
as the broken month, the broken
week. and even the broken day. The
running time is broken into small
pieces. for mine operation is not
simply seasonal, II is intermittent. In
4, that theoretical mine of the statisti-
can the average mine of the country
we find November a longer month
than June, by rs per cent, and June
longer than April. by 10 per cent
and yet the working time in a nor
NAL November is only 10 to Fl days
And irregularity creeps into the
working week and the working day.
for Friday and Saturday are normal
ly shorter days than Monday. Grant
cd that the workers in other indus
tries suffer the handicap Of seasonal
unemployment our problem, and the
national problem just now. is the
bette rment OF the working time OF
coal mines, and especially bituminous
coal mines.
That average mine is located no.
where in particular, and the average
working time by States and fields
show marked and significant differ
ences. The average year in the
Southern Appalachian region is a
fourth longer than the average year
I'm the Central Competitive District'
with 215 days as the average year
for the whole country we find ITS
day average year in New Mexico, Eat
DAYS in Alabama, and 223 days III
West virginia, as against 202 days
in Missouri, lSf days IN ihihois ""N
1872 days in Oklahoma. For the so1t
coal miner this is plainly not a iand
of equal opportunity
Markets, quality of coal, mine costs
Including wage scales). and car sup
My are all factors contributing TO
these differences in mine employ
ment. Unfortunately, We can gage
results better than determine causes
we know the industry to be wastefui'
but where are the leaks? The lack
of efficiency and the losses due to IT.
regular operation are not universal
for many individual mines work Soo
days in the year. Indeed In 1918
when the bituminous mines averaged
2s2 working days, one-fourth OF the
half-million men in the industry were
or,nIoved In mines that worked zSO