The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-11-27
Br VINCENT KEMENoyICH.

THE mining industry is known as one OF the
L "sickest' industries of the capitalist eco
nonic structure. Its sickness dates back to the
pre-war days, and it was the first industry to
feel mass naturalization.
In 1928, when other industries were still en-
ploying new groups of workers by tens of thou
sands, in the mining industry, according to the
bosses and j. L. Lewis there were 100000 miners
too many At that period there was still over
100000 miners employed in the Bituminous
fields. and 10000 in the Anthracite industry.
Since then due to the intense speed-up, mass
naturalization, and narrowing down of the
Bituninous markets this number was lowered to
$4,000 Bituminous miners for 1880, or a half
million less in years.
The Key State.
Pennsylvania is the key Bituminous coal pro-
ducing state and employed nearly quarter of
million miners in the Bituminous fields Now
this number is lowered below the 100000 mark,
The production of coal for the Pennsylvania
BiJuminous fields in the month of October, 1928,
according to the Federal Department of Labor
Bureau of Mines, was 3,149,0O0 tons. The same
week and month in 1929, the production was
1897 600: and for the same period in 1880, it
was 2,532,O0O; and in 1881, 1914,OOO tons.
In the period between 1923-1929 production
was lowered by $4,000 tons. But in the two
years Oh lJoO-AS0As Lilc pAOuuCbiOh Ich ny ali
additional $4,000 TONS lowering the production
during the entire period by 1,235,OOO TONS This
does not express the real crisis, because the
month OF October is one of the busiest months
in the industry It's the last few days of the
Great Lakes trade when the final squirt for this
market takes place and the orders for the win
ter supply OF coal reaches the peak
Many Company Schemes.
These figures do no. express the real situation
incofar as the miners are concerned. Whereas,
il 1928 there we're very few loading machines
and no conyeyors now every large mine is
Clipped with either one or both, and the num-
be- Of men necessary to produce this tonnage is
less b. far than the number required in 1928
wEan the coal was loaded by hand.
The coal corporations il order to keep up the
prc5ca-a CT employing large numbers of men,
use aIl ki,5 Of schemes in order to support this
my5h. tbs for example the H. c. Prick, a
SUI diary of the U. S. Steel. works their single
men and outsiders those not renting the COM
Fany houses) two weeks and lays them off the
naHt two weeks, and since majority of its mines
are working only enc to two days week, these
mel actually get three to four days work a
mc~tf.
7nc Republic Steel on the other hand, gives
one working place to three miners and since it
is impossible for more than two men to work in
one place, it means that every third working day
is ay-off day for of the men.
The Pittsburgh Coal. Hillnan, ETC., have the
so-called idle days" work That is, the mine
do3s not work officially but special sections or
crews, especially the conveyor and machine load
ers work on these days. Since these groups pro-
duce on the average of twice and three times as
much coal as by the hand loading method it is
sef-eVident that of the 100000 that are still
employed the majority get only few days work
a week in the best periods, and practically no
work during the slack period
On top of this, the wages of the miners have
been Sashed again and again, and it is safe to
say that through the cuts, new methods of pro-
duction naturalization etc, the earnings of the
mirers have been reduced IS to 80 per cent, and
the starvation of the unemployed is equalled
only by lie starvation of the employed
Coal Company Relief"
What are the corporations doing to help the
unemployed? The Pittsburgh Coal Company
taxes, out Of the starvation wages of those who
are employed 81 a day and gives relief in the