Evening star., 1928-03-04

and compiled report OF 2,7l9 pages few years
ago to point them out But nothing has % come
of this report. Perhaps the stories OF suffering
men and women and children, obtained in Penn
sylvania by tho Senate's investigating subcom-
mittec, will do more to right what is wrong with
the coal industry than all the charts and graphs
and tabular statistics in the world.
The prolonged discussions in the last 10 years
OF the btur,inous coal industry In the United
States. the findings Of the Hammond Coal Com
mission and the statements from operators,
miners and others familiar with the industry
have brought out the following facts which arc
generally accepted as true:
The greatest problem Is overproductiOn; too
many mines and too many miners.
There more than 1000 bituminous miners
In the United States.
The production is between 80 and 40 per cent
OF the worlds output.
Kentucky are the chief bituminous producing
States and their output is about 10 per cent of
the total output Of the United States.
.+cn in the Industry.
The men employed in the industry have
ranged between $4,000 and 100000 since 1920.
During the past seven years the number OF
days worked each year has been between 142
and 900.
Very few coai properties really profitable
operations.
There has not been sufficient stability in the
industry to provide foundation for the methods
OF management which have improved service to
the public and to other industries.
The labor policy of the industry is based
conflict as opposed to cooperation.
management to provide any substantial leadership
within the industry itself. The managers of the
industry have no confidence in each other. Their
Where competition is free and fierce any
ings made BY lowered costs are not used to
increase wages and profits. or to bring about
greater efficiency but are lost in efforts to cut
prices. underbid somebody else and get business
away from rival concerns.
Conditions in Central District.
The conditions in the central bitumi-
nous district around Pittsburgh studied by
the Senate committee result from a num-
Der of This district it Is charged. has
been suffering from discriminatory freight rates
which cut the district out of Its normal, natural
!ose-to-home markets For 80 years or so the
operators in the Pittsburgh district dealt with
union labor. But the Southern fields OF West
Virginia Kentucky. Tennessee and Alabama.
operating the open-shop principle. were able
to sell their coal cheaper The work OF years
on the part of union labor to build up and obtain
from the operators the minimum wage scale OF
the Jacksonville and preceding agreements was
lost when the operators OF Pennsylvania. beaten
out OF their markets developed in all these years,
cut loose from union labor and took to the open
shop Conditions in the Pittsburgh district are
found In northern West Virginia and Ohio. where
the operators doing what the Pittsburgh
operators are doing And over all this hangs the
threatening cloud of further complications on
April of this year. when some 1873 600 union
miners. now at work In the fields OF northern
West Virginia Illinois. Indiana. Kansas. MISSOURI.
Oklahoma Arkansas. Texas, Michigan. Iowa,
Montana Wyoming and Washington. may lay
down their shorels and picks ana Stop "oEh.
MANY of them are working now under extensions
of the Jacksonville agreement. which expires On
that date
Cause OF Break With Union.
More than one Pennsylvania coal operator
told the Senate investigation committee that inc
reason they broke with the union and went open
shop was because they could not sell Their coa
at a profit and pay the Jacksonville wage scale
The Southern coal operators were cutting tner
throats and the PENNSYLVANIA operators began
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