Search Documents

Please note all Proceedings of the Institute were taken verbatim by stenotypists from Hyatt & Associates of Denver and editing has been minimal. MR. MORTENSEN: On behalf of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute, I take great plea¬sure in saying good morning to you at Vail. With a few clouds in the sky, at least we won't get sunburned. We won't have to worry about our kids in the swimming pool, perhaps. It is delightful for me to have been able to have represented the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute for the year 1982-1983. This has been our 71st year and this is our 79th meeting. In recognizing the attendance here, that dinner we had last night, and some of our entertainment must have gotten to some of us, or it is a little early. But I'm sure as the day goes on, and with the speakers outlined, it will be very beneficial for those who do attend. We do appreciate your attendance. I'd first like to make an introduction of our head table. Doris Finnie, she is our executive secretary. As most of you are aware, Gussie Whiteside retired as secretary. This will be the first time since the Institute started that there has not been a Whiteside present at one of our conventions. I'm sure Gussie would appreciate any calls or letters that any of you would care to make to her. Doris, I might add, has been a great help to me and all of the people who have been working on the program for the Institute this past year. There's been lots of reorganization and we are very pleased with Doris's ability to take hold from Gussie without any waves. Much credit must be given to you Doris for this and we do appreciate the help you have given us and believe me she has kept us out of trouble. Next, we have Art Neill. He is our vice president of the Institute from Montana and he also works with Western Energy Company. We appreciate the help that all of these session leaders and chairmen give to us. We have other names on the head table, but they will fill in as the morning goes on, so we won't bother you with any of those at this time. To set the stage for business, first I would like to call on Doris for a motion to approve the minutes of last year. MS. FINNIE: Thank you, Vernal. Mr. President, I suggest that the reading of the minutes be dispensed with and that the members refer to pages 9 through 80 of the Proceedings for the 78th regular meeting of RMCMI, as published MR. MORTENSEN: Thank you, Doris. Do we have a motion to so approve? MR. LINVILLE: I so move. MR. MORTENSEN: Loren Linville so approved. Do we have a second? MR. GARR: Second. MR. MORTENSEN: All in favor say aye. (Audience responded affirmatively.) MR. MORTENSEN: Those opposed? Hearing none, the motion is carried. I'm sure glad we didn't have to read those 80 pages. Is Doug Hammer in the audience? He was going to give us a list of new members of the Coal Institute and ask for your approval. But because of his absence, the names will be listed so that you can read them at a later date, I will entertain a motion that we approve the new members who have joined the Institute. Do I so have a motion? MR. BERNSTROM: I would make that motion. MR. GARR: I second. MR. MORTENSEN: Do we have any questions? All in favor¬ (Audience responded affirmatively.) MR. MORTENSEN: Any opposed? Hearing none, the motion is carried. Next, we'd like to proceeed with our Nominating committee report from the chairman, George Nugent, and the election of next year's officers. George, would you please take the stand? MR. NUGENT: Mr. President, and members of the Institute, your Nominating committee consists of five past presidents of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute. From Colorado Roy Coulson; from New Mexico, Bob Wilson; from Utah, Bob

Jan 1, 1983

Profiled here are the six RMCMI Scholarship Award Winners for the 1987-88 academic year. Five attended the Diamond Jubilee Convention as guests of the Institute at the June 83rd Regular Meeting held in Snowmass Village. Colorado. Each received a recognition plaque and $500.00 to be used toward tuition in his junior year beginning September, 1987. Keith McGinnis. Scholarship Chairman, personally interviewed candidates at three of six colleges and universities in the program. As this is a continuing award the winners this year and those from last year will receive an additional $500.00credit toward tuition if they maintain a satisfactory academic average and are again recommended by their colleges or universities. Criteria for these awards are: I. That the award be make in the spring to a sophomore student to be used toward tuition during the junior year 2. That the recipient be both a U.S. citizen and a resident of the state involved. 3. That the recipient have good academic standing be pursuing a degree In a mining-related field and have an expressed interest in Western coal as a possible career path. Contributions to this worthy project are tax deductible. Checks payable to RMCMI Scholarship may be mailed to the RMCMI Office at 2700 Youngfield Street, Suite 100, Lakewood, CO 80215.

Jan 1, 1987

PRESIDENT PRYDE: I think that the overcutting machine undoubtedly presents a great many benefits, especially where the roof is frail. I have found a good substitute for the Arcwall, getting a lighter machine by equipping a machine with a turret truck, you get a much lighter weight, and while the cutter is not movable vertically, you cut not on top of the seam, but about the middle of it. MR. SC'HLOSS: I would like to ask Mr. Pryde the advantages of cut- ting with this turret-mounted Shortwall machine. PRESIDENT PRYDE: It is better for development work in narrow places. In development work you have a lot of narrow places. MR. LITTLEJOHN: Mr. Chairman, we were compelled at Winter- quarters, one time, to introduce them for reason of sand rolls'. We have in that mine a condition-we have sand rolls from twelve inches to two and a half feet, sometimes higher than that-usually twelve inches to two and a half feet, and we had to get some of the C. E. 7's on the turret there and used them for advance work not only in the entries, but in rooms; not only in that particular district, but in fact all the districts in the mine-we have abandoned the power trucks. You can cut without unloading, and that is one of the principal advantages, and when the sand rolls come in it enables you to cut over the top of the sand roll, but the particular objection, we were working a nine-foot wall, and some of the coal was twelve feet thick, so that the miners have raised a little objection to the drilling.

Jan 1, 1924

MR. McKEEVER: I think we had to start some- where. The proceeds of the beltbuckles and hard hat stickers will certainly be a beginning in a scholarship for some of our young people. And maybe, you know we might even get one of them sometime to go to the University of Oklahoma. A few years ago the luncheon speaker for tomorrow, Brooks Mitchell, got a few of the mine presidents together and we spent a full five hours of just dedicated listening to Carl Terzian. We listened basically on three subjects: how to work with the media, how to work with image, and how to identify with our political systems and those who are in them. I remember that as one of the turning points in my perspective on how our system really works. This gentleman who will be addressing you today, Mr. Terzian, will be conducting about a three-hour session tomorrow. And it's a shame that our other activities will not allow some of the golfers to probably be there. Those of you who can come to the session tomorrow morning will find it most rewarding. A little bit later on we will also have a panel session. And I see all of the panelists are here except for Bob Golten, but I understand that he is registered. We should have a full afternoon session with Charlie and his panel. When we started working on this, we naturally went back to Carl Terzian to give us some guidance. If there is anything wrong with your session, it's my fault because he knows how these should be done and he guided us along the way. One thing that I am sorry, it wasn't his fault necessarily, is that Harry Reasoner will not be with us for lunch tomorrow. Brooks Mitchell is going to make all of the PR he can out of the fact that Harry got scratched and he got in place for him. Brooks gave me one comment along that line. He said, "Do you know what you get when you cross a gorilla with a computer"? Of course I bit on that. He said. "Well, you get a Harry Reasoner." A little over a month ago I was invited out to California to Woodbury University at Carl Terzian's insistence. I happened to be sitting by one of his vice presidents. It was a formal affair. We had to wear tuxedos and everything and Mr.Green was sitting there and he said, "You know," he didn't know who I was at that time, but he said, "You know Carl really didn't want this formal affair. Said he had a couple of friends coming from the coal mining industry and they wouldn't know what to do with tuxedos." So with that Carl, we will start this little session and it's your mike. MR. TERZIAN: Thank you very much Ira. Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the men and women of the Institute for allowing me to be here. I'm deeply concerned about my reputation, my image and don't want you to get the inference that I am responsible for Ira McKeever's image. Nobody could be responsible for that! But it is a great case in point that we all should be concerned about our images. I guess tomorrow morning from about 8:30. a.m. to about 11:30 a.m. we are going to do a? hopefully, a productive and very pleasant expertence for all of us in this growing field and great interest that people have in the area of image. I happen to be from Los Angeles. I have a national firm which has handled about 600 corporations', over the years through the areas of public relations,' community, civic involvement all built around a strengthening and safe guarding our precious, free enterprise system. And the message that I hope to give you, as you will be eating your lunch today, is really not so much about the image of individuals but as the attitudes built on what Bill Banowsky

Jan 1, 1982

By C. Arthur Carlson

"It now becomes my privilege and duty to call to order this fifty-first meeting of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute. "I bid you a hearty welcome and I know by your attendance at these meetings you will gain a great deal of valuable information, as well as have a wonderful time. "We have been very ably represented by Mr. John H. Emrick as General Chairman, assisted by our good friend Mr. Fred W. Whiteside, our secretary and treasurer. I know they have worked very hard in selecting the various committees, who in turn - by the looks of our program have gone all out to prepare material that should be of great interest to us. I trust we will be attentive to the subjects presented and freely enter into the discussions, also relating our problems and experiences. I am sure this will prove both profitable and beneficial to all present. "The main purpose of these conventions is to become acquainted with each other, renew old acquaintances, talk over our problems, and have a little fun and relaxation from our every day routine. "Let us not forget the manufacturers, the distributors, the operators, or the press because it is through their splendid support that this organization is successful. "Since our last meeting we have gained many new members, whom we especially welcome. We are sorry to have lost a few. I am mindful, at this time, of two very good members from my home state who have passed away, Walter Wetzel, a former president of this institute, and Lee Alger, at the time of his death, Vice-President from Utah. We also lost very recently our assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Everret Davis. These men contributed a great deal to the institute and the coal industry in general. I am sure they are greatly missed by all who knew them."

Jan 1, 1955

"Guests and Members of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute: "It gives me a great deal of pleasure to call the Fifty-Second regular meeting to order this morning. "I think that you will agree with me that we have an excellent program planned for the next three days, comprising various interesting and educational subjects by authors of prominence, which will be of keen interest to all of us in the coal industry. "The Program Committee, chairmanned by John Peperakis, has done an excellent job in securing this very splendid talent for our convention. "I would like to say a word as to the, condition of the coal industry in our part of the country as well as elsewhere. I believe we can look at it with more optimism than in the past several years, particularly in the state of Colorado, with which I am more familiar. "Annual coal production in Colorado gradually dropped from around 12 million tons during the years of World War I to as low as 8 million tons during the last war, and to less than 3 million tons in the year of 1954. We believe that it touched bottom that year, as in 1955 the state production went up again to nearly 3,400,000 tons, equivalent to an increase of 15%. As you know, the national increase in bituminous coal production for the year of 1955 was roughly 2000 over 1954. "The national increase for the first two months of 1956 over the same period of 1955 is approximately 2100. Colorado's production is running around 1000 over the comparable period of last year, and the 5 states represented by our Institute came up with a nice increase in 1955 over 1954 of 1000. "Figures on the increase so, far in 1956 for this group of states are not readily available, but I fully believe that. our industry locally, as well as nationally, is now starting out on a steady rise despite the fanfare of nuclear energy and its more glamorous competitor, solar energy. Many authorities tell us that real competition from these sources is a long way off and that the atomic energy program will consume far more coal than is displaced by nuclear power. "I do not mean to infer that we coal people are out of the woods by a long way' so far as holding and regaining markets, for our coal. The captive operators, which are well represented here, have not lost their market for coking coal, since coke is still a necessary

Jan 1, 1956