The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-06-27
Oyerproduction Looms as
Basic Fault of Industry
Today,
DATA is BEING DUG OUT
First Report Of Investigators
Is to Cover Anthracite
Situation,
BY HARRY B. HUNT
NEA Service Writer

| w ing the facts about the Goa
industry takes harder digg1ns
than mining the coal itself. That i:
the experience of the United States
Coal Commission, appointed by Presi
dent Harding last October.
After nearly nine months Of
digging, during which time it has
riled up thousands of pages of hear
| ings, the commission is assaying It's
findings and will present them about
July / in preliminary" report
| covering the problem in the anthracite
| fields.
Following the submission of this
report. the commission will dig In
again on the bituminous situation In
| the hope Of being able to give Con
gress, when it convenes in December
| recommendation that will assist in
shaping legislation to insure peace,
| prosperity and plenty of coal.
Public Sessions Fail
Early in it's experience. the coal
investigators found they could get no
where in public meetings where
operators and miners faced each
other across the table. At these
meetings, the speakers produced
cratory. not facts. Each side tried to
capture headlines. ,
AS a result, public meetings and
composite group meetings were
virtually dispensed with.
BY long and patient checking of nc
ton against fact of opinion against
demonstrated experience. it Is believed
the few conclusions reached will stand
as milestones to mark the path to
an ultimate national policy toward the
coal industry.
The present unprecedented prosper
ity in the anthracite industry will play
little part in shaping the tone Of the
report present conditions are
on no permanent footing. By the time
the commission report is issued, in
deed a meeting of miner delegates
to consider demands" to be made
when the present agreement with the
operators expires this September. The
prospect is not for entire harmony.
Meanwhile, however, the posi-
ton of the public is considerably
improved over one year ago. For
anthracite production today Is
outstripping all previous records,
with 100000, 000-ton year in
sight if production is maintained
at the average for the first five
months of the year.
To June 9, 45,192 900 tons had been
mined this year. with the weekly out
put hanging close to 100000 tons.
The greatest output of any previous
year was in 1917. when, under the
stress of war necessity, a total of
SO. 611 81 tons was produced. The
commissions Investigations have COW
cred three major factors of the coal
problem-nnining, transportation and
marketing.
Analysis Is Difficult
In the anthracite field. these three
have been found to be so tangled as
to make analysis most difficult For
the eight largest anthracite producing
companies. mining IS per cent Of all
the nard coal, are directly owned or
controlled by railroads. This railroad
ownership naturally complexities the
problem.
Each bituminous coal district, and
| in some districts almost each mine,
has it's own customs and problems,
| determined by the quality of the coal,
| thickness of seam, attitude of the bed,
conditions of mining, available mar
| kets, freight rates, labor policy. etc.
| Still more involved are the wage
rates.
| Overdevelopment of the bituminous
| industry and recurrent labor troubles
are regarded as two of the prime
factors supporting present high coal
prices. How to end the first and stop
the second are the two big problems
the commission must answer.
Even in times of maximum demand,
! it is found the bituminous mines as
a whole do not work full time. The
| capacity of present bituminous mines
| ic in excess of 800, 900, 900 tons a year,
hut the country even in its periods of
greatest prosperity and activity never
has been able to absorb more than
SO, 900, 900 tons.
This condition Of acknowledgement,
commission members state, means
unemployment or intermittent EN-.
| ployment and direct loss Of earning
power. It explains the miners need
and demand for higher daily wage
| than for most other industries.