The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-20
LABOR TROUBLES.
 BLOCKING PATH TO.
 COAL PRODUCTION.
Commission Makes Report Of Industry To President
 Coolidge

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19.-Labor disturbances are the most serious obstacle to the super abundant pro- duction of coal in the United States, the coal commission declared today in a report to President Coolidge on the subject of irregular operation and over development of the bitumin- ous industry" While ineffective transportation machinery was said to lend its effect to fuel shortages, the commission concludes that "the strike of the mine workers is the only bar to continuous production considerably In excess of any present possibility of consumption"
 To attempt to solve the problem solely by improving transportation, the report said, would be simply to transfer to the railroad industry the overdevelopment now seen in the coal industry, and to necessarily incerase freight rates" It was estimated that the railrads would entail an ex- penditure of s2,000,000,000 If they set out to build up their equipment to the point where it could serve the peak demand for fuel, which would impose an additional charge on coal of about r
 ~The alternative is better use of transportation facilities currently available the commission decided. Only Two National Strikes.
 Commenting upon the labor factor in recurring shortages, the report said:
 There have been but two national strikes of the union coal miners (since 191J), that of November and December, 1913, cutting off some 70 per cent of the soft coal output; and that of the summer of 1922, affecting the bituminouS coal fields to the same extent and shutting down the anthra- cite fields completely for about five months. The loss of production oc casioned by these concerted with drawals of the organized mine work ersfhas in each instance caused such general shortage of coal that even after resumption of mining there were long periods of insistent de- mand and his prices. The strike of the mine workers is the only bar to the continuous production of bitumin- ous coal a a rate considerably in eX- cess of any present possibility of con- sumption by the industries, railroads and households of this country and of demand for export.
 Rich Unmined Reserves
 The bitimonous coal industry rests upon abundant unmined reserves. The, capacity in mines and mining labor is sufficient to produce at least per cent more than the highest rate attained in periods of peak de- mand, and if demand were spread evenly over the year, the over de- velopment would be even more pro nounced. The facilities of the rail- roads, necessary to carry the coal from mines to consumers, have not been sufficient in the past eight years to transport as much coal per week as at the time the consumers of the country wanted and as the mines were able to dig and load into rail- road cars.
 Local strikes increase the ire gularity of operation and the cost of production, though with the surplus capacity they do not cause shortage )f coal. Those affecting larger areas, are fields such as were fairly .,)mmon prior to the war in the original fields, likewise have not re- sdlted in shortage of marked price in- 1ation, again because of the excess -apacity of other adjacent fields that were in position to supply the market thus vacated.
 TThese field strikes. notably those in the central compe pe\ive field, were potent factors in forcing the over development of the soft coal fields. both union and non-union. The two national coal strikes had that ef- feet in marked degree on the non- union fields.