OCR Text |
Show ' i WHAT THE COAL MINES OK THE COUNTRY I ARE NOW DOING. m i Mft It is customary for a part of the public to bo- K rate the large conl producers whenever a short- B , age of fuel occur. The operators arc bo far rc- B : moved from the avenge conflumcr that they arc HB seldom heard, and In consequence it in easy for , other toiiKiies to utter alleged rcaHotm for high ; i prices which tiHtially prevail at the juncture 1 when supplies are most urgently needed. This B1 ; juncture, the lime when cool weather In on or !k j approaching, coincides with the Benson of politi- u cat campaigns, and at this period there are poli- ' .' tlclnns who do not hesitate to proclaim that this KjM or that large interest should be investigated. In Af this respect the politician is heard to greater ml- HH vantage than the coal operators, who arc usually Hf content to rest on statistical facts that are dis- W semlnatcd through trndc organizations, and as 1. the average man has little, if any, desire to read m figures, especially when the daily papers are m filled with more exciting topics, the coal pro- BR I duccr goes unheard. VH But the plain fact is that the coal operator jHI is doing his level best to get out coal, and against M Inrge odds, too. In the case of hard coal, the BX railroads during the nine months ending with H September carried 57,778,007 gross tons or 15 per cent more than In the corresponding period H of 1016, 10 per cent over the like time in 1015, 15 Mj per cent over 1914, and 2G per cent over the first Hfl nine months of 101!). Turning to bituminous BBSB coal, the United SUttcs geological survey declares that the shortage is not due to the failure of the soft coal mines to produce more coal than in the a pant. In fnctproduction on September 1st, last, fl wan about a month ahead of last year, and it is JBJH expected to finish the year with an Increase of Sdl 10 per cent over 101G, the banner year, and of B 25 per cent over 1015. HHHB The tremendous increase in manufacturing H and transportation activity this year has created H a demand for soft coal in excess of any in the Hj past', which Increase- is difficult to measure in B terms of tons. It is certain, however, that de- Hj mnnd has expanded by more than 10 per cent. H To meet this demand the mines have been pro- H ducing soft coal at a rate never before equaled. H In the second week of July, 1017, the average dally production was more than 1,000,000 tons, BH the highest point yet attained. In the middle of H August the lowest rate for the summer, 1,G.')8,- HS 000 tons, wns recordetl, and in the liiHt week of BH September the daily rate was 1,82:1,000 tons. In H tho first eight months of 1017 the output of soft H coal 'was :iG:i,500,000 tons or 117,000,000 tons H more thnn in the first eight months of 11)10. H Hero at home the coal mines arc in position Hj and have been for a year or more to break all HH previous records in production, but for the short- 1 age of railroad cars, which condition has given H their miners work about half time for months Hl and which also is getting no better fast. Utah HH people and others dependent on Cnrlxm county 1 for their fuel supply may not come to the point of HH suffering the coming winter for lack of it, but HHj If they don'): there must soon be a change for jH the better in the railroad car supply. The coal j is here as are also the miners to take it from the Hflj ground and all facilities otherwise for its han- HE tiling. The blame attaches to the railroads 1 not any particular one, but all, "because of the m jH system of handling cars for the coal trade. |