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46 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
KANSAS MINING REPORT.
The last report of State Mine Inspector James A.
Orr, of Kansas, covers a period of six months from
January 1 to June 30, 1904, the fiscal year of the
state having been changed from the calendar year
to that ending June 30. During the six months
the output of coal was 2,732,499 short tons, from
mines in six counties. In the full year 1903, the
production was 5,540,537 tons. The total number
of men employed in the mines during the half
year was 10,347, including 376 convicts, who work
in the state mine in Leavenworth county. The
average number of days worked was 92 during
the half year. The number of accidents reported
is as follows:
Killed. Injured. Total.
No. of casualties 16 50 66
Per 1,000 employes 1.546 4.832 6.378
Per 1,000 days' work 0.017 0.053 0.070
The list of deaths includes 9 miners, 5 shot
firers, 1 driver and 1 day man. The injured were
32 miners, 7 shot firers, 6 drivers and 5 day men.
The state inspector, referring to the accidents, and
to the report of the commission which recently
investigated the causes of accidents in Kansas
mines, recommends the enactment of a series of
mining laws, the substance of which has already
been published in THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
Mining Measures Finally Disposed Of.
The bill providing for the appointment of five
additional mine inspectors for the anthracite region
and a new inspection district in Dauphin
county, has been signed by Governor Pennypacker,
of Pennsylvania. A new inspector will be assigned
to each of the five counties of Luzerne.
Lackawanna, Columbia, Northumberland and Dauphin.
The bill lengthens the time that may lawfully
elapse between each inspection of the several
collieries from two to three months, and authorizes
the chief of the department of mines to
assign an inspector of one district to another district
in case there is not sufficient work in a certain
district to keep the inspector constantly employed.
Governor Pennypacker has vetoed the
bill passed by the state legislature providing for
a miners' relief association, whose functions were
to be the keeping of records of fatalities in the
mines and the custody and distribution of money
appropriated by the legislature to be used in pensioning
the families of deceased miners who met
their death by accident. The governor objected to
the measure on the ground that a record of mine
accidents is now compiled by the state department
of mines, so that further provision for that work
would be superfluous; while it would be useless
to create a body for the handling of pension money
until such money was made available by legislative
appropriation.
The Cleveland retail coal dealers, who were recently
indicted on the charge of illegally combining
to control the price of coal, have filed a
demurrer in which they claim that the law under
which they are being prosecuted is unconstitutional
and violates both the state and United
States constitution.
*
The Lehigh Coal Co. has been incorporated at
Elizabeth, N. J., by C. H. Leonard and others, to
carry on a retail coal, lime and feed business.
*
A fight is being made before the Kansas railroad
commission to have the freight rate on nut
coal, to Central Kansas points, reduced.
*
The tenth annual meeting of the Illinois and
Wisconsin Retail Coal Dealers' Association will
be held at Chicago beginning June 9.
#
The Coalfield Fuel Co. and Coalfield Supply Co.
have succeeded to the business of the Miller Creek
Coal Co., at Coalfield, Ia.
*
The Snohomish Grocery Co., of Snohomish,
Wash., has purchased the wood and coal business
of the Lee J. Taylor Co.
The annual meeting of the Iowa and Nebraska
Coal Dealers' Association will be held at Omaha
on June 22 and 23.
*
Baxter & Smith have succeeded to the lumber
and coal business of Van Dyke & Baxter, at Winfield
and Wyman, Ia.
Turner Bros, have succeeded to the coal and
grain business of Thomas Marnane, at Salt Lake
City, Utah.
*
The Yates Lumber & Coal Co. has been incorporated
at Lincoln, Neb., with a capital stock of
$25,000.
*
The Superior Lumber & Coal Co., of Whittemore,
la., has given a bill of sale for $11,782.
A convention of retail coal dealers was held at
Oklahoma City, Okla., on May 10.
J. P. Harding has sold his coal business at Wallace,
Neb., to Harding & Spencer.
*
A. Stem has bought the coal business of W. S.
Mattocks at Glenns Ferry, Ida.