coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

INDIANA'S COAL PRODUCTION FOR
FISCAL YEAR 1913 WAS 17,246,565 TONS.
Mr. Frank I. Pearce, deputy state mine inspector
of Indiana, has just made public his annual
report of the coal production of Indiana for the
fiscal year of 1913, ending Sept. 30, 1913. The
total production of all kinds of coal in the state
reached a total of 17,246,565 tons, and the total
amount of wages paid to miners was $15,959,997.63.
The production of block coal was 445,585 tons,
and the wages paid for mining that coal was
$673,272.66.
The total production of bituminous coal was 16,-
800,980 tons, and the total wages paid was $15,286,-
724.97.
Vigo county led the 14 coal producing counties
of the state though Clay county was highest in the
production of block coal, with 250,352 tons.
Block coal produced and the wages paid in the
four block coal companies were as follows: Vigo,
109,380 tons, wages $167,875.12; Clay, 250,253 tons,
wages $390,262.43; Parke, 80,265 tons, wages $110,-
376.96; Perry, 5,588 tons, wages $4,758.15.
The total production and the total wages paid
in the 14 coal producing counties for the year were
as follows: Vigo, 4,476,945 tons, wages $4,201,-
838.03; Sullivan, 3,233,642 tons, wages $5,152,995;
Greene, 2,753,015 tons, wages $2,312,721.32; Vermilion,
2,104,229 tons, wages $2,063,846.77; Knox,
1,664,619 tons, wages $1,291,539.33; Clay, 62S.3S9
tons, wages $746,990.02; Warrick, 619,614 tons,
wages $500,969.93; Pike, 610,623 tons, wages $549,-
532.72; Parke, 546.236 tons, wages $536,673.40; Vandeburg,
288,058 tons, wages $304,288.82; Gibson,
219,552 tons, wages $212,245.70; Davies, 75,471 tons,
wages $67,363.74; Fountain, 15,584 tons, wages $15,-
228.70; Perry, 5,588 tons, wages $4,758.15.
In the bituminous field a fraction less than 91
cents per ton was the labor cost, while from the
block coal field a fraction over $1.51 per ton was
the labor cost. These figures show a slight decrease
in the cost per ton for the labor cost for
the total production of both kinds of coal over any
previous year.
The total number of employes reported for the
year was 21,683, an increase of 453 over 1912. Of
this number 20,441 were employed in the bituminous
and 1,242 in the block coal mines.
The aggregate number of days the mines were
reported as being in operation was 29,452, and the
number of days idle, due to no sale, 10,408; other
causes, 3,353; no railroad cars, 2,195; local strikes,
273, and on account of funeral, 35.
The average employe in the bituminous field
earned $747.84 while the average employe in the
block coal fields earned $542.08, making an average
earning for each mine employe in the state of
$736.06.
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 39
Sixteen new mines, all of which it is believed
will be large producers, were opened up, and 11
mines were abandoned during the year.
In his report, Mr. Pearce says: "If the number
of tons of coal produced and wages paid mine employes
is any criterion, the mining industry of Indiana,
as a whole for the fiscal year ending Sept.
30, 1913, discloses a fairly gratifying condition as
relates to both mineis and mine operators. Notwithstanding
the fact that there are a few mines
closed down the entire year and practically all of
them lost either a. few days, weeks or months on
account of no sale, railroad cars, local strikes or
other causes, the production, as reported to this
department was 17,246,565 short tons, or 877,679
tons less than the largest and 3.('41,987 tons more
than the second largest production in the history
of the state. Of this production, 9,637,901 tons
or a fraction less than 56 per cent., was mined
with mining machines, and 7,608,664 tons or 44
per cent., by hand.
"This, we are very glad to say, shows an increase
of about four per cent, in the production of
coal mined by mining machines over that of last
year. And this production would have been even
larger had it not been for the difficulty experienced
in under-cutting the coal in a number of mines in
which mining machines were tried out. In producing
this coal there was used 526,577 kegs of
black powder, 283 cases of 'permissible explosives,'
and 52 cases of Hoynsite safety powder. While
it is true considerable time was lost at some of
the mines on account of causes other than those
due to shortage of railroad cars, local stiikes and
the flood in March, yet the major part of the time
lost may be attributed to dull trade, due to a very
open winter and increased production and extremely
sharp competition in securing trade."
NORFOLK AND WESTERN SHIPMENTS.
The Norfolk & Western railway tonnage for the
month of December, 1913. was:
N. & W. Field. Total Coal. Coke.
Pocahontas 948,488 85,846
Tug River 223.796
Thacker 243,637
Kenova 87.717
Totals 1,503,638 S5.846
The first suit to test the constitutionality of the
Pennsylvania anthracite coal tax was begun in
the Dauphin county court at Harrisburg, Pa„
Jan. 22, by the Peoples' Coal Co. of Scranton, which
contends that the act violates the constitutional
provision urotecting property. The act, passed by
the last legislature, provides a tax which amounts
to a little more than five cents a ton.