Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-07
Hard Times for Coal:
Victim Of Decay
Or Of Progress!
CONTINUED From FIRST Page.)

-
this part of the world may have
created the impression that some
sudden crisis has arisen in the
anthracite fields. Actually. the
battle has been q losing one for
more than 80 years. and things
have been very bad for a decade
or 80.
Back in World War I days,
more than 10000 men labored
daily In the pits in the rugged
Appalachians along the upper
reaches of the Susquehanna. to
send more than 100 million tons
Of anthracite to market annually,
$4,000 Idle.
Today, production Is less than
80 million tons. The working
force, on part time last year the
average worked was 1854 days--is
lowering around 10000. Idle
ness due directly and indirectly
to the coal debacle has passed
the SO, 900 mark. The population
of the area is dwindling as young
and old look elsewhere for jobs.
Relief food is being distributed.
Thousands of unfortunates are
depending on their unemploy-
ment compensation $3.50 a week
or less) to get by.
When these allowances are
exlausted-and that day is just
q few months away-because the
maximum is 26 weeks-there'll be
many families dependent on the
wages that mothers and daugh-
tiers are earning in the garment
and shoe factories that dot the
area.
A hard core Of the never-say-
die breed in the anthracite fields
refuses to believe that hard Goals
day is done. These men insist
that the 200-year-old industry
will stage a comeback through
new usages Of the fuel and mod
ernized production methods and
merchandising. They don't ex-
pect it to return to the prosper
ity it has known, unless there is
some radical development not
now in sight. But at least they
hope 1t will recover to the point
where the still-vast reserves of
the once-precious fuel will not be
a total loss, to the detriment of
the country. They are buoyed
In this hope by the thought that
the future existence of the hard
coal industry may be important
to the national defense-a SUBJ
ject to be discussed in a later
article.
There are, however, an awful
lot OF skeptics hereabouts. on the
future of the industry.
New Industry Sought.
In the larger communities,
such as Scranton, at the north
ern edge of the fields, the towns
men are almost ready to write
on coal as a bad bet, and step
UP the drive to bring in new
industry to revitalize the failing
economy. Z
AS still-youthful James Cal
laghan puts it, after nine years
underground: Its time to do
something else. And I'm looking
around"
In such d setup there is a nat
ural tendency to look for con-
venient whipping boys. Every
body connected with the indus
try comes In for blame. It just
depends on who is doing the
blaming.
John L. Lewis, head of the
United Mine Workers, is a per-
feet target in some circles be-
cause of his militant wage pol
icies. Operators have their crit
les who say that they sat on
their hands too long, in a pub
lie be damned" attitude, instead
Of trying to do something about
a steadily worsening situation.
The miners themselves come in
for fault-finding for failing to
maintain top-level production
that would cut operating costs
and keep coal prices down. Even
Mr.. Lewis has had some pungent
comment to make on this point.
There probably is some truth
in each count. But that is water
over the dam. Whatever might
be the contributing causes to the
bleak situation the overriding
fact now is that anthracite il
not selling.
While hard coal offers more
value per heating dollar" thar
any other fuel. according to Its
boosters, consumers have turned
to oil or gas for their fuel needs
This Is for reasons of conven-
fence. plus the service that is part
of the distributors stock in trade
When busy mothers discovered
that they could cook a meal OF
heat the house by a little wrist
action. and fathers joyfully
hailed release from the drudgery
of ash-hauling, it was bad news
for hard coal. When industry
also turned to substitutes. that
was 1t.
"Just Progress"
cit is just progress, and you
can't beat progress. You canp
turn back the clock" That ii
the comment of one knowledge.
able observer in the area. His
attitude Is common.
If coal could be produced
cheaply enough, of course, Il
might continue to compete with
more convenient fuels. But an.
thracite has not been able tt
keep Its cost competitive. Part oil
the explanation almost certainly
is to be found in the history Of
the industry.
Two decades before the Revo.
luton. in a rock-bound regior
that offered little in the wa,
of agriculture. Pennsylvania
settlers were grubbing in tn,
ns,nY, hills for fr,nl rIsl. air. n,.,, 4.