Some time ago, the union miners in the bituminous coal fields enacted high-wage contracts with the operators. As a result, operating costs in the union soft coal fields shot up; and competition has proved difficult with the non-union fields of West Virginia, where lower costs enable operators to cut prices to consumers.
The depression in the union bituminous fields and the contrasting prosperity in the non-union fields have produced some interesting effects in other lines of business. The "coaler" railroads serving the non-union fields have enjoyed heavy traffic and large earnings, while those...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
