Show CODE SECOND TO STATE LAW OFFICIAL SAYS Labor Solicitor Rules on Coal Charter Conflict in Utah Coal mine operators cannot circumvent circumvent circum circum- vent Utah's labor laws because N R A coal code provisions conflict with the state rules federal department of labor labor labor la la- la- la bor officials advised W. W M. M Knerr chairman of the sta state e industrial commission com corn mission Tuesday The N R A specifically provides that code provisions must InUit yield to state and federal laws laws' governing age wages hours of work safety health and general working conditions for workers according to the ruling forwarded forwarded for tor- warded by Charles E. E solicitor so of labor for Secretary of Labor Labor Labor La La- bor Frances M M. Perkins A difficulty arose recently Knerr said when certain coal operators pointed out the national coar code provides that the hour eight working time for miners began when they actually started mining Attorney General Joseph Chez interpreted interpreted interpreted in in- Utah's hour eight law for miners however as meaning uie eight hours began when the workers entered the mine portal and ended I when they left the portal even though it took a half hour to travel from the mine entrance to the level at which they worked If the Utah law provides that miners miners min min- ers cannot be kept underground more than eight hours per da day nothing in inthe inthe inthe the coal industry code excuses violators vio yb- of this rule the labor Jabor solicitor said Serious Problem Arises in Utah Utah coal code aut authorities are confronted confronted con con- fronted with a serious problem Allen Allen Al Al- len Jen T. T Sanford state director of the National Emergency council told a group of the Associated Retail Credit Men at the Newhouse hotel Tuesday Tuesday- Utah has mines with a capacity to supply four lour to six times the demands for consumption Sanford said in discussing the coal code If a coal mine could sell its capacity capacity ca ca- ca output of more than tons a year a price of 50 cents a ton would be possible he pointed out With consumption reduced to tons a year and overhead expenses remaining the same ada affair adair return on tb the investment brings the price to 2 2 a ton he said Under these conditions In order that the operating companies may realize a reasonable profit the price of coal must be fixed at a figure which apparently gives a large profit Sanford said Investigation into the capacity of the mine and the limited consumption shows only a fair profit The figures are all alluring r. r ing to promoters and as result new mines are being promoted and opened adding to the ultimate cost to the consumer Competition in the sense of price cutting is impossible |