1900 - Coalmininghistorypa.org

No. 11. BUREAU OF MINES. xi
received from persons who desire
copies of the laws pertaining to
the Anthracite region who do not care for those relating to the
Bituminous region, or visa versa, and as there are other requests
from persons who wish the report merely for the statistical matter
it contains, it would be better in my opinion, and more economical,
to have the laws relating to the mining of coal printed in a separate
pamphlet. The expense would be exceedingly small, and the decrease
in the cost of printing and binding the report, with the laws
omitted, would almost cover the cost of 3,000 additional copies of
the report. If the Legislature should not deem it advisable to have
the laws published separately in pamphlet form, I would respectfully
recommended that the report be published in two volumes, the
Anthracite report with the laws pertaining thereto in one volume,
and the Bituminous report with the laws pertaining thereto in
Section 2 of Article 8 of the Anthracite Mine Law, approved June
2, 1891, provides as follows:
"Certificates of qualification to mine foremen and assistant mine
foremen shall be granted by the Secretary of Internal Affairs to
every applicant who may be reported by the examiners, as
another, as the report as now published is very cumbersome and unwieldly.
hereinafter
provided, as having passed a satisfactory examination and as
having given satisfactory evidence of at least five year's practical
experience as a miner, and of good conduct, capability and sobriety.
The certificate shall be in manner and form as shall be prescribed
by the Secretary of Internal Affairs, and a record of all certificates
issued shall be kept in his Department."
Section 2 of Article 15 of the Bituminous Mine Law7 referring to the
same subject reads as follows:
"The said Board shall be empowered to grant certificates of competency
of two grades, namely, certificates of the first grade to persons
who have had experience in mines generating explosive gases,
and who shall have the necessary qualification to fulfill the duties of
mine foremen in such mines; and certificates of second grade to persons
who give satisfactory evidence of their ability to act as mine
foremem in mines not generating explosive gases."
I
I would most urgently recommend (hat the foregoing section of the
Bituminous law be amended so as to conform with the Anthracite
law regarding the issuance of certificates of qualification to mine
foremen from Ik- office of the Secretary of Internal Affairs, as frequent
applications are made to this Bureau for duplicate certificates
by persons who have been granted certificates of qualification as mine
foremen in the Bituminous region, which have been losi or mislaid,
but we are nimble to furnish them as there are no records kept in this
office of the Bituminous certificates as there are of the Anthracite
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