Show BRIGHT FUTURE SEEN FOR COAL Major Majo Industry of Utah Reaches High State of Efficiency Utah's Utah 5 OOOO coal industry centered in the toe Castle Gate district of Carbon and Emery counties pr prepared prepared pre pre- pared during 1933 to participate in inand inand inand and add impetus to industrial and business recovery promised by the I future Prospects for the coal industry in I 1934 1 appear the brightest st st. in several severn years As a result of the control set setup setup setup up under the N R A code and md the wage agreement with Utah coal miners miners min min- ers definite checks cheeks have been placed upon vicious slashing of prices s and wages As direct labor costs represent represent represent sent 65 per cent of the cost cast of production production tion the importance of stabilization of wages cannot be overemphasized Although the Utah coal industry has a long way to go in recovering ground lost during the last decade the fact that the Industry has succeeded succeed succeed- ed in checking the steady decline in production since 1926 is distinctly encouraging en en- Efficiency at Peak Despite a year only 50 per cent of normal Utah coal operators maintained maintained main main- their properties bringing productive pro pro- resources to the highest state of efficiency in the history of the of-the the industry industry in in- through installation of new equipment so that the Utah coal industry in in- is now capable of ot an annual production of 11 to 12 million tons and the employment of men i if such production is justified by business business busi busi- ness recovery covery and consequent increased increased increased in in- creased demand for tor coaL Even under curtailed operations men were gainfully employed throughout the year in an estimated production of ot tons of coal which resulted in a payroll of and expenditure of for tor materials including timber Umber rails ralli and electrical equipment Expenditures for tor materials were In excess of those a year ago while the payroll distri distri- distribution distribution was equivalent to that of 1932 even though actual production was less les than the tons mined in 1932 Under normal conditions the Utah coal industry payroll totals between 8 and annually with with an m expenditure for tor materials of Major Source of Revenue The Utah coal industry continued to be one of the major sources oi ot Utah revenue in that 80 per cent of the coal produced is marketed in outsIde outside outside out out- side states and the revenue is returned returned returned re re- re- re turned to Utah for tor payrolls and conservation con con- of properties by the 17 major major major ma ma- jor operating companies of ot the state The feature of ot 1933 coal mining operations was the signing of the first l labor bor agreement in the history of the industry D Designed to promote an improved industrial and ec economic I relationship the agreement was signed under the collective bargaining bargain bargain- ing lag provision of the N R A national coal code The agreement between o operators and the United Mine Workers of America effective November 1 unionized the Utah field The basic rates ates of pay per day for inside inside in in- side of mine workers and for tor outside of mine workers are the highest highest high high- est t day wage scales for coal miners in the United States or the world with the exception of Montana fields |