Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-12-11
Taxpayers Will
Have u. S. Help
How to Deflate Coal Industry is
Problem Coal Commission is
Endeavoring to Solve.
(By Isaac Gregg

(By Isaac Gregg
Washington, Dec. ll.-Speciai et-
fort is being made by the Bureau of
Internal Revenue to aid taxpayers in
the preparation of their income tax
returns for the year 1922. The period
for filing returns is from January
to March IS, 1928.
Schools for the instruction of depu-
ty collectors are being held IN the va
rious collection districts through the
country. Experts in the individual IN
come tax law and regulations, who
have been engaged in similar work
in Washington are the instructors.
Following an examination as to their
knowledge of the law and regulations
at the end of the course. the deputies
will be sent into every county IN the
United States to aid taxpayers IN max
ing out the income tax forms. The
forms soon will be in the hands oil COL
lectors of internal revenue by whom
they will be mailed to taxpayers who
filed similar returns for the year 1921.
Two pages are devoted to instructions
which taxpayers are advised by the
Bureau to study carefully before
seeking assistance of the deputies.
Government aid heretofore offered
city residents will be continued by col
lectors' Offices and branch offices. The
advisory service is without cost TO the
public. The instruction schools Tor
deputies supplement the work OF the
corresnondence study section Of the
Bureau of Internal Revenue which OPP
crates throughout the entire year ana
in which 5000 deputy collectors ana
other employees are enrolled.
The recent revival of building oper-
ations in our cities everywhere at
fords visual evidene of the extent to
which the huge steam shovel with lts
nile Of coal has taken the place OF hu-
man labor in excavating for the mod
ern building. Nor is the contribution
O focal i'm construction work all visible,
TO rthe structural materials themselves
are largely the product of coal burned
at mine, quarry and furnaces, at Dflck
or cement kiln and at the steel plant
This explains how figures recently pre-
scnted before the United States Coal
Commission show that about one-thlrd
of the weight of a fireproof office
building as today constructed repre-
sents the tonnage Of coal that was
consumed in the preparation OF the
building materials.
1t is far cry from steei and bricks
to the fruit that comes to our break
fast table. but coal is no les1 SOM
moment of that fruit. The canta-
loupe that is transported in a refrlge
rator car from an Arizona ranch to a
Roston home represents an eXpendi-
ture of nearly two pounds OF coal OF
its equivalent in oil or water power
in the form of ice and locomotive
fuel. Thus, whether we get 1t IN the
form of luxuries, which so soon come
70 he regarded as necessities, or IN
the form of raw materials of indus
try. coal has become an essential item
in the daily life of the people.
The studies already made by the
United States Coal Commission all
point to the fact that the bitumlnous;
coal mining industry is overdeveloped
"Too many soft coal mines and TOO
many miners" describes the situation IN
plain English. In hese coal mines
more CANAL is invested and more
miners are employed than are needed
to produce the coal the country re-
ouires. This condition, of course, IN
wolves waste on countrywide scale.
How to dehate the coal industry Is
one of the many problems before the
Coal Commission and its reports may
he expected to present facts bearing
an this nuestion. 1t seems PLAIN
enough however. that the industry
should not be further inflated by
opening new mines. The facts ALREADY
presented furnish a valid argument
against continuing to enlist new capl-
tal in the business, thereby opening
now mines that are worse than un-
needed. for they further spread and
thus overtax car supply and shorten
the possible working time OF mines IN
the vicinity that are already well
eouipped to ship so to 100 per cent
more coal than they ship now. Indeed,
the ratings of mine capacity reported
to the railroads for the purpose OF OBJ
tanning cars would indicate that the BIZ
luminous mines of the country have a
total capacity Of not far from two bill
lion tons, instead of the half billion
tons needed.
If the public can appreciate the
strength of the evidence already avail
able on the subject of overdevelopment
refusal to invest in new coal mlnlnsg!
ventures under present conditions will
be recognizd as both good citiznship