Casper Daily Tribune Newspaper, September 4, 1919, Page 11

t THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 1919 Vitnesses Before Senate Investigating Committee Assert That Prompt and Effective Co-Operation From the U. S. Railroad Administration Is Essential if Coal Problem Is to Be Solved. ATTITUDE OF RADICALS IN LABOR RANKS ALSO IS DISCUSSED Public Will Face Cold Winter if Miners Decide on Nation-Wide Strike and Shut Down ¥ ines in the Bituminous Districts. ROMPT and effective co-oper- ation from the United States Railroac Administration. and the prevention of a nation-wide stuike in the bituminous coal fields. are all that stand between the American people and # bituminous col famiie next winter, according to testimo: presented by officers of the National Coal Association to the United States Senate sub-com mittee which is conducting an in- quiry into ihe coal situation. Deelerieg thet the American pee- ple were enti to ail the facts in the case Mr. Harry N. Taylor, of Kansas President of the National Coal Asociation, told Sen ator Frelinghuysen, Chairman of the Committee, that there are three distinct factors controlling the cessful operation of coal mines the, successful serving of the public interests. “These factors,” said Mr. Yay- lor, “are the consumer. the producer and the transporter. If anyone of those three fail the other two are helpless. If the consumer wants the coal and the producer can pro- duce it and there are no cars to move it, the other two are helpless If there are plenty of cars and plenty of coal and the consumer will not place his orders. the trans- porter and the prodneer are help less—and so on. Any one of them failing in his share of the work ren ders the other two helpless “In the early sumimer months of this year the one that ed was the consumer. I attribute that largely to the fact that for two years the government and the coal operators, in their effort to assist the government. fad intensified their demand upon the public to store coal The press was full of the necessity for winning the war, and amplified the importance of the movement of coal during the entire twelve months of the vear. if we were allowed to produce enough coal to win the war. They laid stress on that. In pre-war ti when there was no partienlar incen- tive, it was often the practice of the consumer to wait uncil he really needed coal. and if the railroads had plenty of cars and if the oner- ators had’ plenty of labor at (heir mines everything was all right “So, through the Fuel Adminis tration, that condition of affairs was made known to the public and the production during the war time was made almost continuous The ultimate consumer either stored’ bis eoal in the factory yard or in base- ments of the home users and the railronds stored a large amount of coal, so that the production of these years was practically only limited by the transportation and the ability to get it through the con- gested centers. After two vears of ractically hounding the people to uy con}, when the armistice was signed there was a relaxation on the part of the consuming public which was reflected in their lack of buy ing, and the Geological Survey figures distinctly showed that the production was falling off By the first of June there had been a less production in this country, as com- pared with the vear previous. of about seventy million tons. and it became evident to the coal industry that unless something was done to make up in part that large shortage of production it would so congest the business in a few months that it would be impossible for the rail roads to move the coal. especially as they would probably be called upon to do so about the same time that they ‘would be asked to move the largest food crops ever pro Auced ip this country ef » Sitnation Can Be Saved © Questioned by Senator Freling- huysen as to what would have to be done to prevent a bituminous coal famine this winter Mr. Taylor said that the operators would have to produce at the rate of a little over eleven mil! tons a week during the remainder of the vear. “If we get busy right away can we save the situation in time?” de- manded Senator Frelinghuvsen “Absolutely we can,” said Mr Tayler. This confidence on his ‘aged tm Se all the wit- past was share’ fe Sy sth th a nesses who appeared “nate before the sub-committee during the first day of the coal hearing. But ull agreed with him that it would take the most intelligent kind of co- cperation on the part of the Rail- road Administration and an diate reduc of the car shortage that is holding up production at the tines to save that part of the pub- tic whicle has delayed in buying its coal from suffering from the cold this winter. Ail agreed, too, that if the radical element which is at- tempting to st’r up trouble among the organized bituminons coal ‘niners of the country succeeds in calling a general strike this fall or winter the result would be calami- tous. me- Miners to Meet. The bituminous miners have call- ed a convention in September at Cleveland and according to Mr. Taylor they plan to formulate de- mands there similar to the demands ttade by the English miners on the English coal operators. According te the proposed demands*the pres ent contract for an eight hour day shonld be cut down to a six and inste of working si a week they intend only to work days a weck. A substantial in- crease in the present wa be included in the deinands In comptianer will also with a request from the Committee enncerning the present paid “te the coal Mr. Taytor scale paid te miners of t said that the day w t} the n who drives a mule is y tically uniform all over the coun and that tt day, whe ¥ e men who work by the known arennd the coal mines as’ “day men.” get a fixed rate per dav of eight hours The miner. however.” said Mr lor fixed cents per ton for coal at his w naturally var ce with his ability and according to the thickness of the seam. ‘That is. in the thickest seams where he ean act down more coal with less endeavor je gets paid a less number of cents ner ton. and in the thinner seams the rate per ton is | the ende ureater gets on number of producing the nd that her, beeause coal is ver to eet the hose men are supposed fo worl ght hours a dav. the same zs the ‘day men’ werk, bnt fre- quently it is almost impossible te heep a man working eight hours In fact that the miners do not IT would sav work ther earnings on what they produce.” The Wage Scale. do the miners make on an asked Senator Myers of ei¢ht hours reaularly because reguinte their owo “Wh nverage Montana “Well.” said Mr. Tavlor. “as the seams range up their w es range up There are some miners that nke as much as fifteen dollars a v and there are other miners that make as low as five dollars a dav are the type that could more money in a mine hecanse they rot make any ving coal thar they could pick- ing slate off a car. and they get five dollars a dav doing that” In response to a question cen cerning the nationality of the men employed in the mines Mr. Taylor said: That varies in different sections ef the country. We have almost all nationalities There are 9 great many Italians, Aostrians, Slovaks, Lithnanians, English and Scotch.” “Are any of them what you wonld call distinctively American. with- out a hyphen?” asked Senator Frelinghuys® Yes." answered Mr Taylor, “and I want to sav this—that some of the brainiest and most upright men I have ever known were coal miners—men of the hest American instincts. In fact, the great ma- jority of the coa) miners are Amer- ican citizens.” Operators’ Troubles. Asked by the committee as to whether the combination of car shortage and possible labor troubles would produce an advance in the price of coal this winter, Mr. Tay- lor said: “We are confronted in the coal business with this condition. The miners’ organization is entirely ppt fgom the Sherman law, cod SENATOR CHAIRMAN COAL INVESTIGATION > COMMITTEE — t @al FRELINGMUFSEN YOU’VE GOT ENOUGH CARS a SAY, | WANT TO GO To woRK NOW WE NEED} MORE CARS | ran get together and make any de- they want and on the operators after consulting with h other ip ry. They different parts of the cour can formulate a demand id eir « based on rich is international in scope, and they can have ose con- ferences and m ir demands withoot any infringement of the Law Therefore. the coal operator ef this country is confronted with a combination of laber which fs not in their c up by t g. nation-wide an and without in rent of the law can get to- colleétive ich erees up his cost beth in price and ¥ way controlled nnd formulate a upon the operator w in the conditions under which the men are emplered “On the ot wind. we are con fronted br a combin nm in the form of a Railroad Administration » buving combination, whieh ll the buving for the rail which was formerly in the h local purchasing agents scattered all over the country. This pnrch i hody in the 2 pover is now in a centry hands of ene man. and roads thirty per cent ef all the bituminous as the use -practicalls din this country. the rd ag be is. is cc with the most atic coal mi coal operator scatte harassing of condi would be possible to fronted condition and combi tions that it confront him with Costs Forced Up. Labor can force up ius cost price almost indefinite and on the other hand the comb tion of the Rail road Administration can force his selling ptice down almost indefi nitely, at least so far as the price of the coal sold to the railroads is concerned I am going to be very frank in saying that it is not right for such a large percentage of our coal to be foreed down to cost or below cost by a centralized buying power so that the entire profit of the industry should be put upon that part of the country that can least afford to pay an extra price. And vet if we do not get an extra ce the industry carrics ao prefit p whatever» and would soon shut down. “If the coal man could direct his own business he would mueb prefer to have his coal run in an evenly distributed manner during the twelve months of the vear at a very low reasonable profit than he would to have it run six or seven monthe in the year at no profit, and then have a peak load at profit which leads to the howls and condemna- tion éf the coal industry which we have in the fall and winter.” Constructive Suggestions. Questioned as to whether he had any constructive suggestions to make that would tend to produce 4 fairer argangement of prices and cne that would not permit the gov- ernment to get cheap coal at the ex- pense of the smali consumer, Mr. Taylor said Ad IT (8 always every summer when sidetracks are full of coal cars, when oth time the railroads rs are lying idle and the men who make their living the mines are out of enuse th enus ni ys for their product The railroads use, as | said before. prae tically thirty per cent of the bitu minous output. When there is ne business in the mines. they » ! ly have no business for their coal cars or that elass of equipment thet coal business If ould arrange to take at the time of the pment is idle is peculiar to the the railronds their coal suppl vear when their eq! and when the mines are iv they wonld accemplish three im- portant things “In the first place they would get their supply of coal into ster age. Thev would use thot idle equipment and would keep the men at the mines emploved and ewoul 4 relieve the labor unrest. Aa it is now, the thrown into a period of idlene or five months men are es for three, or fc erv vear, If tt reir anplowment « he more regular it would net be so tnake demands for di ort to necessary ton in ane year's living out of a few me activity [In other words, the mor regular employment uld larecty offset the labor unrest [t would use the idle equipment that is deing nothing but lving on a side track Tt would bring the coal in at at of the vear when it was possible dig it and it) would equipment for the ase of the p in the fall and winter time when tl 1 An | over relieve the needs equal distribution of thy d of over six so badly twelve months tnste months would have a tendency to lower prices and make tess labor unrest. It would alse make better vse of railroad equipment and would stabilize the industry all along.” The Real Problem. Mr. J. D. A. Morrow, Vice President of the National Coal As- sociation, who preceded Mr. Taylor before the Committee, said that the essential problem, as the operators see it, is that of getting enough coal produced “However,” he added, “there is some general idea in the inind of the public which has been advanced by people, who, perhaps, feel thnt they are well informed, that there is sowe kind of combination in the bituminons coal industry. We went to state flatly and emphatically that there is no combination to maintain prices or to restrict production, or in any other way to interfere w the natura! influences upon the con- ditions in the production and mar keting of bituminous coal. We go further and say that the conditions in the business are such that it would be impossible for anybody to form such s combination even if he would try. “There are about 5,000 <eparate pours uble Famine Next Winter? NO YWORK: NO.COAL proximately 7.0 which bituminous coal shipped In additior ‘ some 2 ( t 8,000 mines, who begin proc and ! z nl te ‘ r esup tle and Tor a profit te fem. Thos in 1917 coal produc tion was reported to the U.S. Geo- Fuel Acministration pr - rface of the eartn and r for the reason that the pit mouth js on the side of a mountain or hill “Many mines id unt of ne cara ines Buyers Fix Mr. Morrow submitted charts to e Committee uly sh logical Survey there are from Lot Prices. Morcover nds of acres ¢ ure idle today on ac- Two hun and railr no which new mit one so disposed " os i on obviously dves not len itself to restrictive mmbinat that w among producers. In addition the Fuel operet rs of cach producers of other field o th t less buyers have many different sourees le 1 ° fe sta u t to be ext hem of supply Of the 5 State 2.294 approximat 1S peor cent Yd member N tien output of minous 1 in t T the Com country Cha Combination t e Shortage Increases, A t this rtage has Associntior s 8 comb von in fact, they de suoapiy tre “The Nat represents ise perators and ters of transport standardiz business epen to ernment at tine vs week _gplihay ! oes ith do with the + bers ask or sell a territory into eoal, nor the q ’ produc fat n cars of € ¢ coal cars coal tars orrow the armistice, and in general are Administration Committee Py sch prefer- ver a figure wnershi cre Showa f the to- hop under lower than the United States I He that: ebruary 1! of bituminous coal was by the maximum price fixed by t! mine @ Fuel Administration in the various half times e of the | d producing districts ie mare “These Fuel Admin . were intended to ing of undue price: coal and to limit the the mine operators miz said. “At the same time ed fair profits in order that the duction of suff stimulated dr did not permit Fuel Administra’ bused on careful of producing | of the districts tetas the , o the er ast, the pric ontralled — 5 “More 62,000 le roads ur in the on These arhood h 5,500 or more engines, acee! to indications, will be needed early this winter. They could be used now in avoiding blocking mines with loaded cars. If these en- ion. riues are not repaired at once, they the coat hen required for use, in es Sice 5 UO. NOD ust the ne condition so many Effect of Car Shorta of the asat Adminis- = UNCRn FOU tes J | |)