The New York herald., 1922-04-07
FRIDAY, APRIL Z. 1922.
Our Great Coal Problem.

The present coal strike serves to
project into the foreground for
thought and discussion Americas
great coal problem. second only to
Americas vast unsolved railroad
problem.
Coal Is basic necessity. Without
coal. or coal oil, for heating, for light
ing. for industries, for transportation,
social disorganization, decay and
death itself would follow.
So we must have coal, and the
country is rich in coal. We have
something like ten thousand operable
coal mines and there are countless
thousands of coal deposits through
out the country not yet uncovered.
The question is not one Of shortage
Of this great resource, but rather one
.~bf marketing it. The present dead
lock of operators and miners is due
in large part to the nature of coal
operating, to natural conditions.
The cost of producing coal in the
ten thousand operable coal mines of
the country, principally bituminous,
varies widely, and this is the crux Of
the whole coal problem. In one mine
one dollar will do as much work, pro-
duce as much coal, as perhaps five
dollars will produce in another mine.
II the cost Of production, measured
in man power. were the same in all
mines the wage scale Of miners would
be relatively simple. And so, too, II
thecost of production were the same
in all mines the problem of coal op-
orators would be relatively simple
The purchaser Of coal considers
only quality and price. This is all he
knows about coal or cares about coal.
The source OF the coal doesn't CON.
Germ him. The fact that II costs
three to five times as much to mine
coal in one mine as 1t does In another
makes no difference to him.
This means that the expensive
mine to operate must sell It's coal at
the, price the easily operated mine
gets-must do this or 60 out Of busi-
ness. Conversely, II the lean mine
gets a satisfactory price for its coal
the fat mine is getting an exorbitant
price for its coal, considered in re-
spect of fair profit, and the Ameri-
can people should not be compelled
to pay more than fair profit.
Inasmuch as there are not enough
fat mines to supply the country's
needs with coal, 1t follows that the
lean mines must be operated or there
will be a shortage OF COAL And mas
much as owners Of coal mines do not
and can not operate them at loss, 1t
follows that In the finality 1t is the
lean mines, in the main, that make
the price OF coal to the public.
It couldn't be otherwise under the
present scattered holdings OF coal
mines. Moreover, the lean mine is re-
sponsible for much of the trouble with
the coal miners. Put to 1t to meet the
competition OF the easily worked
mines, the operators OF the lean
mines, face to face with the necessity
OF getting their coal mined at cost
somewhere within telescope range
Sf the cost to the fat mines. natu-
ra1fy seek more favorable arrange.
men<~with their miners than that OBJ
tanning with the highly profitable
mines. This leads to the non.union-
izing of mines.
IL is either this lower wage or close
down the mines. And this is just
MAT the men, many of whom have
their homes at the mines, do not
want. And, too, closing down the
Y mins is just what the country does
not want. both in the interest Of the