The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-08
By G. SLUTsKI.

MOSCOW, (By Ma1l). - The coal
owners press in almost all countries
is loudly trumpeting increased coal
reserves. These have been tripled
since the beginning of the year in
Belgium, exceeding in March a mil
lion tons; in France coal reserves in
the pit come to several million tons;
in Germany, although reserves in she
Ruhr basin are comparatively small
not much more than half "a million
tons-they are steadily on the in
crease; the United States has accu-
mulated coal to the amount of about
80 to 100 million tons, which vast
stores, it is true, formed part of the
intensified preparation by the Amer
lean coal owners for the miners
strike in the bituminous regions,
breaking out in April, although the
coal reserves were rapidly increasing
even before this.
British Competitors.
The growth of reserves may be at
tributed to the fact that the coal in
dustry cannot find market since the
British coal-owners, having strangled
the great miners strike are now able
to win back the markets lost during
last years 7 months struggle lower
ing their prices still more. The prin-
cipal competition is with German coal
by which British coal was chiefly sub
stituted on the international market.
At the same time British coal is
crowding out of the market those
countries whose output showed par
ticular development during the Brit
ish strike-Poland, Belgium, Czecho-
slovakia and America. Finally the
cheap freight for British coal and its
high quality enables it to compete
with local coal in coastal regions and
coal districts with river transport.
This is the case not only in France
and Belgium but even in Germany,
also possessing first-class quality and
very cheap coal.
All the coal-exporting countries are
suffering from the consequences of
this British competition and of the
veritable coal war now going on be-
tween Britain and Germany. Ma
turally the less developed countries
with dearer and inferior quality coal
suffer the most. 1t is this that ex-
plains the accumulation of enormous
reserves in all European countries.
Fresh Attack by Mine Owners.
In order to cope with British COM
petition the coal owners have been
forced in all countries to lower prices.
All over Europe, with the single ex-
ception of Germany coal prices have
been lowered during the past months.
Germany does not require to do this,
having as it is the cheapest coal in
Europe, the price of British coal only
quite recently approaching it.
Since wages play the greatest part
in the price of coal in all countries
and since the owners are far from
being anxious to cut down prices by
diminishing their own profits, they
are endeavoring to lay the burden of
competition on the miners.
This is achieved by the introduc-
ton of naturalization, the raising of
labor intensity, the cutting of
wages and the frightening of hours.
The German coal owners during the
British strike got rid of the vast coal
reserves accumulated up to that time
lin the Ruhr Basin alone there were
about 8 million tons in the pits), and
expended the great sums of money
thus obtained in improving the equip
ment in mines. The enormous profits
accruing from the increased export of
German coal were spent on this; to-
gether with reparation coal, German
exports were Sc million tons for last
year; even deducting freight expenses
Germany made about 200,000,000s.
Germans Rationalize.
Other countries, however, could not
show such a stupendous increase in
output, and have not introduced ra-
tionahzation to the extent that Ger
many has. They are now not in
position to rationalize the industry so
quickly and there remains nothing
TOR them to do but to increase the
pressure on the workers.
Everywhere the preparation of the
owners for fresh attack can be OBJ
served, and indeed in many countries
this attack has already begun.
In France the wages of miners
have been considerably lowered. A
"combing out" campaign is in pre-
paration for the getting rid of the
more belligerent, revolutionary ele-
ments from enterprises.
The owners in Belgium are prepar-
ing to lower wages and waging
campaign against working hours.
Wages have gone down in the Saar
Basin.
In Spain wages are going down and
the z and 8-hour day is threatened.
In Poland the owners are endeavor-
ing to cut wages 8 per cent and to
substitute the 10 hour for the 8 hour
day (enjoying it is true, a purely
existence).
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