With those familiar with this kind of undertaking, the importance of such work is easily understood, as it contemplates the employment of more men, more power and machinery, and the expenditure of thousands of dollars. For any company such requirements may well be considered a serious matter; and, unfortunately, in the prosecution of this work, parties were required to sink such shaft, whose financial abilities were not equal to such undertaking. I call to mind instances where the coal companies were laboring under the disadvantages of deep shafts, faulty and uncertain coal, the price of mining in excess of competitors; the hard times of the past year resulting from a stringency in money matters; strikes, with the attending expense of keeping the mine in repair; with very little business or income, and when business was offered it was met by the sharpest competition; in fact, these mines were simply paying labor and operating expenses. The men interested in these mines had their little all of hard-earned savings tied up in a business producing no revenue, and with small prospect of ever receiving any; yet, from a hope inborn in man, they were anxious to proceed, trusting to some chance or change by which the situation might be improved. Then, to be faced with the threat that the shaft, which they have no ready means to sink, must be sunk or the mine closed, is indeed a serious matter-knowing as they did that to close the mine was ruin, and to sink the shaft was to borrow or go down in their pockets and throw more good money after bad.

The appeals from these men for more time (with a full knowledge of the situation), to me were most reasonable; and had the enforcement of the law been left to my discretion and judgment, I would have been only too glad to say to them, "Go ahead, do the best you can, and sink the shaft when times are better." This feeling was fortified by appeals made by the miners for whose especial benefit the law was enacted; they would come to me and insist on not shutting down the mine; times with them had been extremely hard, work was slack everywhere, they knew not where to go if work was shut off, nor did they have the means to take them with their families to other points. This placed me between two fires, but I am consoled in the reflection that the law is a good one and should stand, and that while its provisions may work a hardship on a few isolated cases, yet the great body of miners throughout the State are made safer and healthier, and it is better that a few members should suffer, rather than the entire body.

The sanitary conditions of the mines have been greatly improved during the past year, as will be seen by reference to the table of improvements in this respect. Twenty-four escapement-shafts and 15 second air shafts have been sunk, 6 fans have been erected and 18 fur

naces built and 3 rebuilt and enlarged, 18 covers and 28 safety-catches were put on cages, 4 safety-gates around shaft openings were hung and 44 hoisting ropes were condemned and replaced by new ones. Escapement-shafts sunk last year are considerably larger in size than former ones, and the furnaces are also built larger, which will give a greater volume of air. Airways have been widened out and cleaned and overcasts erected, and the more practical method of splitting the ventilative current into separate divisions has been adopted at many of the new mines.

REPORT.

We regret very much to make the statement that this, the eighth report of this Department, shows a decrease in the amount of coal mined as compared with previous year's output. It is the only one in the history of the coal mining industry of the State that does so. The causes leading to this result are so potent to all intelligent and observing men, as to make any attempt to explain them unnecessary. For our fiscal year, ending June 30, 1894, the coal product of the State falls 807,120 tons short of the amount mined during the previous year. If other lines of business had suffered in like proportion, some idea of the magnitude of the aggregated loss to business could be formed. However, it is not likely (with perhaps one or two exceptions) that the loss in any one enterprise or industry has been so severe as in that of coal mining, since it had to contend, not only with a depressed business, but with the most disastrous strike heretofore experienced.

During seasons of financial trouble, we may look for timid and cautious action in all matters of business, from whatever source or direction we find moneyed interests employed. The past year has furnished a severe experience along this line, and no differeuce whether the cause for it has been a real or imaginary one, the result has been the same. At any rate, business has suffered from general stagnation, coal mining especially. As the machinery in all channels of trade, commerce and manufactures must be moved by the product of the mines, this condition of business has had the effect of causing all other industries to contribute share of its hardship to the coal trade. When an industry employing nearly 9000 men experiences a falling off in its product of 25 per cent, as the coal-mining industry of this State has during the last year, it is but natural to recognize in the situation, causes for distress to the miner and serious complications for the operator. Unfortunately for the coal operators, and the miners as well, there have been added to the discomforts arising from general stagnation in business all the evil effects of a prolonged strike, bringing about an enforced idleness to the mines, and thus entailing a loss of huge proportions; for, aside

from loss of trade, the lying idle of large mines is an expensive and serious matter. While it is true that the mine-owner may still possess his unmined coal, yet to lie idle means more than loss of income from the large capital represented in property and plant, for a still greater difficulty confronts him, and that is, that though not a pound of coal is mined, still the situation demands the employment of a force day and night to preserve the mine from decay and destruction.

It has been demonstrated time and again, that there is much less trouble experienced in keeping a mine in a safe condition while in active operation, than it is during seasons of idleness. In fact, a difference is detected during the idle hours of a night, after a busy day's work, as observation teaches that falls are much more frequent in a mine during the night, than at any other time within the twenty-four hours. For these reasons, the greatest care and attention must be given an idle mine; otherwise, an accumulation of water, gas and falls will result in its destruction, or its reclamation accomplished at immense cost.

As for the miners, there has been no experience in the mining of coal in this State that will compare with the hardships they have endured during the past year. And to their everlasting credit let it be recorded, that by reason of their noble conduct in the exercise of wisdom and prudence under most exciting and trying circumstances, they prevented the shedding of blood and the destruction of a vast amount of property.

From a careful estimate made of the loss sustained by the miners of this State during the past year, owing to lack of business and the prolonged strike, we find that a sum not less than $580,000 will cover the loss. Further estimates in this connection reveal the following: that the men actually digging coal, and not including other help around the mines, averaged 159 days' work out of the 365, and the average earnings for the year amounted to $287.33.

To arrive at the net earnings of the miner, we have estimated for cost of powder, oil, blacksmith and doctor, and in view of the small average number of days worked the past year, the estimate for the above has been placed at $26.12, or about half the expense for a full year's work; the fact that powder is not used in all mines has been considered in making the estimate; to the above must be added houserent for a year, which is not less than $50. These two sums approximately constitute the expense deducted from the miner's pay; so that at the end of the year the miner's account would stand about as follows: