BULGARIAN COAL PRODUCTION; CRITICISM OF COAL MINES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130457-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 23, 2011
• Sequence Number: 457
• Publication Date: September 22, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130457-9
CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTED
CENTRAL NTELL GENIDAGETNCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
? COUNT4W- -Bn2garia-
SUBJECT Economic - Coal production, mines
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers, periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Sofia
DATE
PUBLISHED 1951 - 13 Jun 1953
LANGUAGE Bulgarian,
DATE DIST. ;, Sep 1953
NO. OF PAGES 2
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
BULGARIAN COAL PRODUCTION; CRITICISM OF COAL MINES
COAL PRODUCTION INCREASES -- Sofia, Geografiya, Vol 1, No 8, 1951 (article
signed by Tyanko Yordanov)
In 1950, Bulgarian coal production was over 5 million tons, which is about
the same as the total coal production in 1936, 1937, and 1938. According to
the 1951 plan, coal production will increase 25 percent in comparison with 1950.
This is 10 percent more than the Lforme7 planned production for 1953, which
is 6,500,000 tons.
The following table gives the index figures for industrial productic)i in
Bulgaria (1939 = 100):
194
8
1949
1950
Plan for 1953
Total industrial production 17
1
220
270
370
Power production 20
7
250
302
670
Coal production 19
6
2110
263
320
LIndustrial] machine
production ?,13
0
1,670
2,440
6,514
Agricultural machine
production
Tests which have been conducted at the anthracite mine in Draganitsa,
Berkovitsa Okoliya, established that the coal found there had only 2 percent
ashes and 0.7 percent sulfur. This coal is suitable for the production of
carbide, which is used by the "Lenin" Metal Plant (metalodobivniya zavod)
STATE
ARMY
DISTRIBUTION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130457-9
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130457-9
Lenin" State Metallurgical Plant. The anthracite mine administration in
S.voge, which controls the "Draganitsa" Anthracite Mine, has not taken steps
to exploit the mine. For one year the management of the carbide factory in
Iliyantsi ordered anthracite from the "Draganitsa" Mine, but received no deliv-
ery. Only 40-50 workers are active at the mine.
MINE CRITICIZED -- Sofia, Rabotnicbesko Delo, 13 Jun 53
The "Khadzhi Dimitur" Coal Mine Zin Stara Zagora Okoliya] is the largest
of the "Chumerna" Mines. The mine did not fulfill the plan for 1952, and the -
pl-o for the first quarter of 1953 was fulfilled only 80 percent. The April
1953 plan was fulfilled 90 percent. In two years, five technical directors were
replaced. Mining engineer Tsanko Atanasov, who is the present technical direc-
tor, does not know how to organize coal production in the mine. The mine has
few machines; it does not even have a compressor. The management is not planning
the preparation of new faces. The fourteenth face is now being completed. The
preparation of galleries is lagging. One gallery was scheduled to be dug 250
meters in 1952, but only 50 meters were dug. This year, the plan calls for
digging 250 meters of the same gallery, but digging has not begun. No work is
being done on the sixth shaft, of which 100 meters are scheduled to be dug.
Miners are constantly shifted from one work area t6 another; they are late
in starting work, and often are found standing idle in front of their shafts.
Because of a lack of supervision dome layers are not supported by beams.
Tsanko Atanasov rarely visits the shafts. Because of the poor attitude of sec-
tion chief Rayko Slavov toward his men, some miners have left the mine. Mine
facilities are poorly exploited. The three conveyor belts in the mine carry
only 25 percent of their capacity load. Mining cars frequently jump the tracks,
and valuable time is lost while the scattered coal is cleaned off the tracks.
Miners in Shaft No 100 once were without air for a long time. Electric instal-
lations are frequently damaged. The fifth shaft has been under construction
since 1944 and still has not begun to operate.
The mine management thinks that the "Khadzhi Dimitur" Mine is unable to
fulfill its production plan; consequently, all effurts have oven devcted to
improving other mines, which are in good condition.
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700130457-9