The Delta independent., 1924-08-15
FUEL is FOOD FOR FURNACES

Washington, D. c., August 11.-Coal
production is intimately connected
with tariff protection. There are
about $4,000 miners engaged in the
mining of btuminous coal, and 100, 900
are employed in the anthracite fields.
The Coal Section of the U. S. Geolo-
gical Survey reports that 422,000,000
tons of bituminous and 55,OOO,OOO tons
of anthracite were mined in 1922, and
it estimates 1928 production at 545.-
000, 900 and 95 900, 900 tons respective
ly. West Virginia produced S0,000 900
tons of bituminous in 1922 and 100,-
000,000 tons in 1923, therefore she con-
tributes roughly one-fith of our btu
minous coal, and she employs about
10000 miners to get it out. PraCti
cally 60 per cent of our bitumino ous
production is used by the manufactur-
ing industries, which alone consume
from 100000 to 2O,OOO,OOO tons OF
anthracite annually. The railways al
so consume a great deal of coal. The
more prosperous our people, the
greater their coal consumption.
The Statistical Abstract shows that
for 1921 about 100000 wage earners
in the manufacturing establishments
received wages aggregating something
like SS,2500 100000, or an average per
man of $1,1SO a year, an increase in
the amount paid out and the wages
per man of more than 100 per cent ov-
er 1914. The cost of materials in 1921
was S25, 1897, 100000, included in which
was coal. The year 1921 was a poor
year in industry. The Abstract gives
the aggregate of wages paid to rail-
road employees in 1922 as S2,669, ,OOO.-
900, or s1,622 average per man, an ir-
crease of 100 per cent in the total
paid out and of ia per cent in the
scale, compared with 1913. And 1922
was not very good industrial year
The Republican Tariff law was
passed September %. 1922, and 1928
was hummer in industry. Bituminous
coal production increased 80 per cent,
1923 over 1922, and probably that in
dex applied to 1922 business would
err ON the side of under-estimation for
1928. Certainly wages were not lower,
while the Inauguration of the S-hour
day in the steel mills advanced pro-
duction costs materially
1t may be argued that labor troubles
in West Virginia were accountable.
for curtailed bituminous production in
1922. The answer is that the mines
are greatly over-manned and even
with strike periods it is not difficult
for the miners to catch up with the
demand.
1t has been frequently stated after
analysis of cost sheets, that labor ac.
counts for from so to rs per cent of
the cost of production in the manu-
facture of goods. This does not in.
clude the labor which goes into coal
production and other raw materials
According to the foregoing statistics
there has been added to the mill pay
rolls more than $4,000 100000 since
1914 while about 81, 100000 has
been added to the cost of rail distr'.
button in the item of railroad wages
alone. This relates to 1922 The in.
crease must have been measurably
greater during 1923.
With the Democratic tariff policy
in operation, as indorsed by Mr.
Davis and Mr.. Bryan, the domestic
production of goods would undoubt.
edly fall much below the 1922 figures
and that alone would mean re.
duction in the amount of bituminous
coal need of probably 10000 900 to
160,O00,O0O tons compared with 1928
Since the average output per man is
about tons daily, this would mean a
curtailment of from 10000, 900 to 40.
100000 working days, or up to two
months idle time per miner, which
would give the miners ample oppor.
tunity to ruminate over the blessings
of the Democratic tariff policy. and
stimulate their demands for coal mine
naturalization with the taxpayers pay
ing the losses, as contemplated in the
Labor program for England Ana o:
course the mill workers would have
plenty of time to exchange views with
the miners
If steel is the barometer, coal IS the
Thermometer. of the nations business
And John w. Davis of West Virginia
would smash both.
SHOEING RIJIIc