Show Coal Shortage in the Offing L LAST T AST year ear there was grave c concern over the possibility of a coal shortage in Utah We Wc came pretty prell close to one but we did manage to squeeze t through rough by the skin of our teeth largely due to a relatively mild mUd winter Nevertheless Nevertheless Never Never- there thero was as serious danger and it was wits predicted then by b coal men that the situation would be be worse this thu year ear Now it seems those predictions are defInitely definitely def del going to be borne out out and and it isn't lust just a a. matter of crying wolf wolf as some might have ave suspected was the case last year ear Secretary of the Interior Ickes who Is also atso coal administrator has stated flatly that the Pacific coast and the Rocky mountain states will ill suffer sutter a coal eoal shortage this winter inter unless more workers can be quickly recruited for the mines Eugene McAuliffe president of the Union Pacific Coal company compan says the same thing So does B. B P. P Manley executive secretary of the Utah Coal Operators' Operators asso asso- dation clation Lets Let's get a picture of ot the situation Output Out- Out Output Output put of the west's coal mines has been going up from a little over tons in 1940 to a little over tons last year ear and an estimated tons at present production production production pro pro- rates for 1943 But despite the Increase increase increase In in- crease In production we are still going to be tons short In the west this year ear because of heavily increased demand due to the war The estimated shortage in Utah Ismore is ismore ismore more than half that tons Why is there this shortage Because the mines cant can't get enough men to mine all the coal that could be mined and because strikes absenteeism and loss of skilled labor have cut down production Production has hns dropped an average of more than one ton per day per man In addition to that drop in per man per day production there has been lately an actual ac- ac actual actual ac ac- falling off in mine employment The major mines in the Price area reported workers September 1 this year year compared to workers on July 1 Fewer inthe in inthe inthe the face of ot a need for a thousand more em em- I What's What the answer Well there are several several sev seY- eral cl-al possible answers The best beat would be to get those thos additional a a thousand or orso orso orso so in Utah to 3 In the western coal coalmines coalmines coalmines' mines mines' as 3 whole whole- The miners might be recruited re- re from middle western coal mining areas where there ma may be some sonic available workers from the country generally although that would mean mostly unskilled men or the tho miners might be released from the armed services Next best bet would be to increase the working day at the face lace in the mines from seven to eight hours hour That would just about make up for the coal deficiency in Utah That cannot be done however without the approval of the United Mine Workers' Workers union and probably probably probably ably without an increase in loc local t prices to offset operation costs Some help might be possible through use of women in various aboveground abo coal mine jobs At least one Utah company is experimenting experimenting with women in the tipples to pick stone anC and waste aste materials from the coal as 88 asit asit it tt passes to storage bins and crushers Restrictions Restrictions Re Re- on job shifting and control of absenteeism absenteeism absenteeism ab ab- ab- ab might be of some help also Finally the answer is up to the general public If It there is a coal shortage it will affect affect af af- a- a civilian activity and the civilian populace most most and and from a purely selfish standpoint therefore the people in Utah generally should save savo coal In every possible way so that the supply available for civilians will last through the winter And right now it wouldn't be a abad abad abad bad idea to say a good word to the gods of the weather in the hope they'll continue giving us this pleasant saving coal-saving brand of Indian summer we have been enjoying |