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Show AUTO AIDS GOAL SUPPLY IN OHIO In Four Years Supply Increase Is Noted in Figures of Coal Mines Close relationship between conditions condi-tions of roads nnd total tonnage of coal mined Is seen In statistics compiled com-piled In a recent survey. These figures show that In Ohio, for example, where large sums of money have been expended in recent i-irs n road improvements, the annual an-nual output of pit mine.'', most of which also arc wagon miner, has Jumped from 141,446 tons in 1914 to 2, 7311,900 tons I, 1918. Wagon mines, as the (orm Implies," are not located on the railroads, fh. y aro found where ih'e mining is en , i that Is, where the vein of coal Is j il a few fed below the surface of the ground or protruding from the hill! sides. If the roads are poor, trans- portatlon costs confine the activities of such mines tc purely local markets, mar-kets, many of ihem In such cases operating op-erating only whon teams of farmer roundabout would bo idle on the farms If not engaged In hauling coal .xt low, rates j Given highways on which trucks can operate economically between mlno and railroad, many wagon mines are finding It possible to compete In tho general market with mines located locat-ed on railroads Toda, because of better transportation facilities and tho Increasing demand for coal, some are producing several hundred tons of coal dallv. OPERATE T SMALL COST. ( Trucks engaged In thl hauling are boinR operated at a ton-mile cost of from 1 1 to S3 cents, depending upon character of roads, loading conditions, traffic congestion, routing proper maintenance of trucks and selection of drivers. Where costs are high, 1 Kranted the roads are Improved and Without steep grades, improper man-1 agrment resulting In Idle hours for! trucks Is most often at fault Th nv In Bhlah . .. U... ... HI "I"'-" Hit? 1161111-3 and facts that have been cited aro1 disclosed, was conducted by the economic eco-nomic research division of the Fire-' stone Ship by Truck bureau, at Ak-i ron, Ohio, which has branch bureaus In the 64 leading trucking centers of the United States It has been published in a pamphlet, Just Issued, entitled "The Motor Truck at the Coal Mines." The survey concludes as follows: "tne of the principal factors, i C not the chief factor, which has de-i terred coal operators from using trucks thus far has been the condition condi-tion of highways. Especially ' this truo In such states as Illinois. Iowa and Kansas, sine the roads In these states arc tho worst at the very time: when the demand for coal Is great-1 est. LARGE PROGB M. "Fortunately almost ever coal-producing stile has a rather large road building program under way. and In. a number of Instances both the state' and country have appropriated funds for carrying out these programs. The first anil third largest coai j producing states In the Union. Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania and Illinois, have comprehensive compre-hensive road Improvement plan' In the former state $50,000,000 has been' appropriated, and In the latter $6,-1 000.000 In addition county units In j both states have made large sums available. Actual construction was started In both states last summer. Tho road programs In these states provide for considerable mlle.iK-"' through the coal fields and will bring man undeveloped and untouched coal areas Into profitable trucking distance dis-tance of household consumers, Industrial Indus-trial plants and railroads. Next November Kansas. ' Missouri and West Virginia will .siihmlt to the' voters for approval bond Issues amounting In each state to 160,000.- 000 The chances of approval In at least tvo of these stales are good. In Missouri, during the pant year, about $12.foo,000 has been made available through the counties while in West Virginia and Tennessee the combined appropriation of the counties Is $5.-000.000 $5.-000.000 and f7. 000. 000 respectively. In Iowa, rjreen and Tolk counties, both In Goal -producing areas, have made $1,000,000 and $2,000 000 respectively, re-spectively, available during the past year. ' iwners of the coal mines and coal-produclng coal-produclng lands will do well to watch closely road construction While railroads rail-roads may not be accessible Immediately Imme-diately the cse of motor truck will make the development and operation of the mines on this land profitable In many Instances.' |