The seven States listed above produced 85.2 per cent of the total production of 520,052,000 tons in all States during 1925. One thousand three hundred and thirteen mines, representing 25.2 per cent of the 5,209 reporting mines in the 7 States, produced 78 per cent of the production of these States and 67.2 per cent of the production of mines in all States in 1925. Total number of bituminous mines reporting to the United States Geological Survey in 1925 for all States, 7,361. Coal production, 1925—Continued Number of mines Total net tonnage Average per mine 48 132 176 36,011, 868 42, 036, 901 24, 783, 971 750, 247 318, 461 140, 818 356 102, 832, 740 136, 928, 019 $287, 899,000 $2.10 1, 974 6 49 94 4, 631, 268 14, 797, 346 13, 250, 572 32, 679, 186 771, 878 291. 423 140, 963 149 42,882, 113 $77, 328,000 $1. 80 480 15 32 3, 655, 967 4, 484, 652 8, 140, 619 243, 731 140, 145 47 12, 186, 557 $17, 497,000 $1. 44 161 6 19 12 37 12, 799, 443 $23, 496, 000 $1.84 113 25 169 234 428 Per cent of total tonnage 20.3 30.7 18.1 75.1 10.8 33.3 309 75.0 PENNSYLVANIA (BITUMINOUS) Total....... EASTERN KENTUCKY Total...... WESTERN KENTUCKY Total...... VIRGINIA Total...... 30.0 36.8 68.8 31.6 40.8 11.2 83.6 WEST VIRGINIA Total... 12.2 39.8 27.2 79.2 122, 380, 959 $209, 655, 000 $1.71 1, 173 Summary of coal production of following States, 1926 State Number Total tonnage mines produce ing 100,000 tons Per cent Total production for entire State Illinois. 133 63, 678, 833 20, 334, 126 18,971, 162 118, 301, 185 36, 876, 760 12, 386, 681 12, 041, 744 120, 117, 313 91.8 87. 7 08.1 77. 3 77. 7 80.1 85. 2 83.7 69, 366, 923 23, 186, 006 27,872, 488 153, 041, 638 47, 460, 439 15, 464, 023 14, 133, 386 143, 509, 340 Total. 1,410 402, 707, 804 494.034, 243 The seven States listed above produced 85.7 per cent of the total production of 573,366,985 tons in all States during 1926. One thousand four hundred and ten mines, representing 26.8 per cent of the 5,253 reporting mines in the seven States, produced 81.5 per cent of the production of these States and 70.2 per cent of the total production of mines in all States in 1926. Total number of bituminous mines reporting to United States Geological Survey in 1926 for all States, 7,177. Although the industry has always been cursed with overdevelopment and intermittent employment, the war period, when the industry enjoyed its greatest degree of peace and security, served only to accentuate the overdevelopment, as the coal operators simply reinvested their earnings in new lands and opened new mines rather than meet the Government tax exactions. The following table of new mines opened during this period will give the committee an idea of how tax money was used to further overdevelopment and intensify competition : [Data from United States Geological Survey Under the heading “Mines abandoned,” for the year 1921, the figures are not available. Thus it will be seen that excess mines to the number of 3,744 were added to further aggravate overdevelopment and internal competition in the six years enumerated. Notwithstanding the unprecedented overdevelopment, as shown by the production tables for the seven States, the actual consumption of bituminous coal has been declining. The following table from the Geological Survey Yearbook on coal production shows to what extent coal-burning efficiency has been increased in recent years and the resulting reduction in coal consumption : FUEL ECONOMY Indicators of the effect of fuel economy on the consumption of coal per unit of performance since the war (Coal in 1925, by F. G. Tryon and L. Mann) Pounds Per cent reduction United States: Average, 1919-20.. Average, 1925. Average, 1919–20. Average, 1925. Steam electric power plants- Pounds per kilowatt-hour, 1925. 1918. 1924.. Coke manufacture Savings of heat values through recovery of gas tar, light oils, and breeze by extension of by-product in place of beehive coking, 1913 to 1923, expressed as Senator Fess. How do you account for the reduced use of coal on the steam lines? Mr. LEWIS. Because of the improved efficiency in combustion methods, and the application of modern practices. Senator Fess. Is that by reason of the use of any substitute, like oil? Mr. Lewis. Not in these tables. That does not comprehend anything of that kind. That merely means the result of added efficiency from the use of the same amount of coal for the development of the same horsepower or kilowatt-hours, as the case may be. The United Mine Workers of America had served as the only stabilizing force that the bituminous-coal industry has ever known. When union wages and working conditions prevailed in the major portion of the industry, the equalized wage rates paid served to stabilize production costs and minimize internal cutthroat competition. The progressive leaders of the industry, as well as Government agencies, recognizing the value of the United Mine Workers and the trade-union agreement as the only stabilizing force within the industry, sought to promote a long-time wage agreement which would insure continuity of production and, under this arrangement, weed out incompetent employers and eliminate needless surplus mines. Following the strike of 1922, which was the result of an illadvised attempt of bituminous-coal management to destroy the mine workers' union, certain Government agencies set to work to |
Get this book in print
0 Reviews Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified Write review |