Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-12-22
COAL OUTLOOK
RAILROADS UNABLE TO HANDLE
MINE OUTPUT
Non Union Operators Working on
Short Time-SOme Less Than
Two Days a Week.
(By Federated Press)

Bituminous coal output is today
seriously limited by the inability of
the railroads to handle the traffic
offered. Short time operation from
this cause is particularly character
istic of the regions where both rail
roads and coal ope cators are most
bitterly opposing organized labor.
Black Diamond, a leading publication
of the coal industry, points out that
the mines most seriously affected by
inability of the railroads to afford
adequate service are 'the mines of
eastern and southern Kentucky and
the non-union mines of West Virginia
which have to produce the surplus
that will have to come out of the earth
in order to give battle to the union
miners if they cut up the tricks that
they did last year."
Most of the mines in these fields
are working less than two days per
week. Ii is reported that some of
them have worked emily five days dur
ing the entire month of November.
u. S. geological ,lsures showing
percentage of full time operation in
the various coal fields of the country
confirm this Statement. Since the
settlement of the cool strike the Har-
Ian field in Kentucky has averaged
only 20 per cent of full time opera
ton. The Hazard field, in the same
state, has averaged less than 16 per
cent of full time operation that is,
not more than one lay a week. Poca-
hcntas, Logan, New River and Kama
wha fields in West Virginia are aver
aging less than 80 per cent of full
production. These figures compare
with operations in the other fields of
the country ranging from 4O per cent
Up to "a per cent of full time pro-
duction.
Production in these fields which big
r siness counts upon to break coal
strikes is close to the vanishing point.
The fact that the cause of this situa
ton is found in the inability of certain
roads to handle freight is significant
of the unity of interest between rail-
road workers and nllie workers.
Service On the three main coal car
riers south of the Ohio river has con-
tinue'l to drop. There are the Norfolk
Western, the Louisville & Nashville
and the Chesaneake & Ohio. The first
two roads have refused to make any
settlement with the shopmen which
involved recognition of the unions.
The settlement on the C. & o. amount
ed to surrender on the part of the
mems system organization with
view to beginning work at the bottom
and building again.
The attitude of these carriers to-
ward organized labor is directly re-
sponsible for the transportation
breakdown. On the Norfolk & Wes-
tern motive power appears to have
failed SO that coal operators are COM
planning that service on this line in
Mcdowell county, w. Va, has about
dropped to the point of the impossible.
Similar reports come from central
Pennsylvania stating that car short
age has practically closed down many
mines. Car shortage is reported as
worse along the Pennsylvania system.
The Pittsburgh Coal Co., probably
the largest bituminous producer in
the country, states that it's operations
would greatly exceed the present
amount were it not that railroad
transportation is only at about 25 per
cent capacity. Figures of the geClo-
gical survey show that the Pittsburgh
district mines served by railroads only
are operating less than SO per cent
in comparison with more than rs per
cent operation by mines having a
river as we'll as a rail outlet.
The increasing inability of the rail
roads to serve the mines is measured
by the shortage of coal cars reported
to the car service section, American
Railroad Association. Here is an
average shortage of over 10000 cars
in the coal industry. Forty thousand
cars means over 100000 tons less
production than would otherwise be
possible.
Secretary of Commerce Hoover, in
his annual report, points out the con-
nection between the problems of the
coal industry and transportation. Rut
the use of certain coal fields as strike
breaking agencies makes the connec
tion of even greater Importance in the
strategy of organized labor.