OFFICIAL REPORT ON THE OSTRAVA-KARVINNA COALFIELD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A037100520001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 16, 1957
• Content Type: REPORT

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~C=SSING COPY
reMEMEZ011 .
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material Contains Information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
19, U.B.C. Boom. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorlud person is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY Czechoslovaki
SUBJECT Official Report on the Ostrava-Karvinna DATE DISTR.
Coalfield
NO. PAGES
REQUIREMENT
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE AC
REFERENCES
150,5V wt
Ails
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRA L OF CONTENT IS TFNTATIVF
25X1
_25X1
booklet dated March 1957
which was issued by the Technical Economic Publicity Department of the Ostrava-
Karvinna coal mining combine. The booklet gives a brief historical description
of this coalfield, outlines the productior-.goals for the coalfield in 195$, 1959,
1960, and plans for the remote future. Data is given on the percentage of coal cut'
and loaded by combines and mechanical loaders, and output per man and per mining#'"
team, Extensive data is providad.on manpower available in the coalfield, arld ,"T
plans for mechanization. A schematic map show the name and location of mini25X1
$1 ATE IX ARMY j X INAVY X A I R X 11`11
1
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"t Field distribution by "#".)
AEC
Li
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CZXC OSLOW_-\ A.
Economic
The Ostrava *Karvinna Coalfield
The following is a translation of a booklet issued by th onnical
Economic Publicity Department of the 0..',,- ". Combine under date ::arch 1957.
listorical
The first bituminous coal was won i--: the coalfield (at J:.?'iL7,-X;)
in 1768 at a depth of 20 feet. .'Ifter the foun(in of the V.%TKOVICE Iron
t.orl-s in 1330, production was raised to 6'.;0,000 tons in 1862, :nth 7,000
workers. In 1900, 5,800,000 tons were raised; and in 1916, ei;rploying
37,000 mine: s, output neared 11 Llillion tons fro the 0STIt VL, coal mines.
The greatest production ever achieved up to the present date was the 20
million tons of 1943 under wartime direction of the u'errilans.
Coal raised in millions of tons :
17
16
21
1918 1911, 1920 1921 1922 1"7"23
11;24.
1025
1926 1927 V
28 1;.29
i%5 11946 194.7 1948 191, 9 1950
1951
1952
1953 1954 19
55 1956
GeHotel In spite of y)lanb for increases of coal production in 1957 and
in the succeeding years, even then not enoug:.:. will be provided for full
development of the 'Czechoslovak economy. (Sure of report by Boh.Dolansky
e
to the Communist :_ arty, 27th .. eb.1957) 25X1
In 1957
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In 1957 the intended increase for the whole State is 4.6 million teats,
made uL, of 1 million tons of hard coal and 3.6 milliop tons of brawn coal
and lignite.
Tasks for the Ostrava-:;arvinna Field ox )
In 1958 raise 21,539,000 tons of coal
In 10,59 " 22,627,000 " "
In 1960 it 24,91:.0,000 it It
and by the end of the 3rd 5- =ear .'.'Ian 31 ,523,ao0 tons. By far the greater
part of the coal raised during the 2nd 5-Year . lan will come from mines
alread: in existence, the oldest of the -.fits being the Ed. Li'x (1835),
Stalin (1840) , 3ezruc ?j.'rojice and Zarube:; (104.5), and Vitezny unor
(1847) . The :..:ir, '_ rula.da, Staohanov and ~ .lubina pits have also celebrated
their 100th anniversary. In 1959 5.' of the total output will come from
newly re-constructed mines, and in 1960 10;,. :parallel with the constant
raising of output there must be preparation of neFw coal-getting capacity,
Comiinnj back to 1957 ; It is urgent to maintain high ,roduction during the
summer months, to raise an additional 300,000 tons,
and to prepare the mines for the work of subsequent years. ll this
demands far better use of the existing; mechanical ecuipment and unremitting
improvements in the organisation work.
Coal broken down
loaded by combined
cutter-loaders
broken dawn with
mechanical cutters
of total
output
of tota
output
1949
4, 202. 000
33,9
1950
5,626, 000
1;.1,4
1951
1; 5.000
0,3
5,53h, 000
41,4
1952
161.000
1 ,1
6,137.000
41,-
1953
289.000
1,9
6 ,415.000
4.3,2
1954
61i.7.000
4,2
7,223.000
45.5
1955
1 ,012.000
6,1
8,138.000
49,3
1956
101841000
6,8
7,911;..000
45 o5
AM SECRET COT?Ol /nuantities
I S. fFFUflA I .l MY
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,uantities lo-ded mechanically
In 1951+ 505,210 eu.m. of mineral
1955 543,070 cu. i~1.
1556 606,773 cu.m.
Output from faces employing work-cycle:
In 1954 10,230,562 tons
1955 11,130,829 tons
1956 11,819,050 tons
Outputs per man and )er team
The above successes could be made still greater if the experielice gained
by the best workers could be put into practice thro-.ighout the coalfield.
For example : In the past year 1146 teams of hewers advanced the coal-face
by 37.2 metres a iaont i, i.e. by 20 metres more than for instance the average
monthly advance in England. Nevertheless, the average ae.vance for the
whole coalfield is only 30,2 metres. -,;1 y ? Because at the other 116 faces
they have managed only 25 metres.
The cutter-loader team headed by comrade i371viL:Ri Z achieved out puts
of 20, 3l.7 and 27,287 tons in its record months, whereas the overall average
per cutter-loader combine per month in time whole field is only 6,350 tons.
These varying results are due not only to deficiencies in the organisation
of work but also to the uneven qualifications of the workers. The
essential condition for improving skill lies in stabilising the labour force.
A period of one yews is decidedly too short for a recruit to become a
qualified miner. Consider the following facts : .Faking productivity in
tons per worker in 1950 as IM, then it is true that by the end of 1956 the
;productivity had been raised by 8.9j; but a comparison of figures for the
separate years reveals substantial fluctuations in the increase, viz.:-
In the year
Against the year
increase in productivity
1951
1950
- 1,8
1952
1951
+ 9.8
1953
1952
- 6.1
1954
1953
+ 1.14.
1955
1951:.
+ 5.4
1956
1955
+ 0.6
Following the decline in 1951, productivity increased in 1952 by 9.8 jo.
Here it must be noted that the increase was primarily brought about by
Sunday output (11..77;; of the total), and was obtained without any increase
in the labour force. The fall in productivity during 1953 resulted from the
so-called "increased metre-run" operation, which assured a sufficiency of
working faces. Then again the small measure of increase in 1954 was
SECRET C N T L /caused
If. R. ri c iic ntj iv
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caused in part by the extension of the OTIC (technical) service in connexion
with the detailed sampling of the coal for ash-content dui ing introduction
of the so-called standard coal-getting. The considerable growth in
productivity in 1955 followed a necessary decrease in the number of shifts
devoted particularly to non-productive tasks. Once again then in 1956 the
increase was checked by intensified preparatory work.
Take a look at the following Table:
Turnover of labour force in the OISR:
Year
orkers newtly
engaged
..orkers left the
coalf ield
1947
13.947
13.074
194.8
23.196
19.828
1949
22.736
22,251
1950
31.367
27.064
1951
34.452
31.020
1952
25.249
30,112
1953
26.877
24.440
1954
28.468
20.220
1955
24.587
23.451
1956
26,760
25,84.3
In the aggregate during the decade 257,643 new workers came to the
OI(R. The great majority of them had first to learn the miner's trade. In
the same period 245,023 men left the coalfield after at least one year's
experience. (See map at Appendix "A" showing location of the pits - about
half of Which appear to have been re-named after 1945).
Stabilisation of the labour force.
This depends upon 1) the correct selection of recruits for the pits
and 2) their satisfaction with the working conditions,
including wages, and with their life out of
working hours.
On the one hand there are numerous cases of men frori other occupations
who have shown their ability to succeed underground. There is hardly one
amongst the first-rate teams in the coalfield today that does not include at
least one-third of newcomers to the industry. In many such teams new workers
form the majority. On the other Land, on certain days during the summer
months unexcused absenteeism reaches a figure of 3-4,000 in the whole 01M.
!Meg:
In 1956 the average monthly wage of underground workers was 2,224
Czech crowns and of surface workers 1,556 crowns; whilst the average
monthly wage in industry for the whole country was 1,322 crowns.
SEC ET C !T OL
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In comparison with 1956 the proportion of coal loaded mechanically
by cutter-loaders, coal-ploughs and hydraulic machines will be 1. times as
great in 1960. There will be a great increase in the cyclical working of
coal faces and in quick-cutting tunnelling machines. Over 55 kilometres of
galleries will be propped with helical shuttering. There will be an
increase in dustless boring, boring under spray and under water infusion.
Coal getting with the combined Donbass machines is being systematically
increased; and there is an expansion in the number of faces which will
be coaled by scraper. In the year 1957 a further 2 Anderton combined
machines will be added to the 2 existing ones, with which our crews are
obtaining as many as 7 cycles in 24 hours. Next year (1958) we shall
import 5 more Anderton machines and shall also construct 5 ourselves.
For inclined seams the Jupa cutter-loader has been found suitable; in the
course of 2 shifts it has stripped 185 metres of face. In the present year
(1957) our mines will receive 6 of these combined machines, and next year a
further 4. in the present year our coalfield will be supplied with one,
and next year with 3, complete coal-ploughs. Ploughs of our own
construction will be made (also,. Besides the above combined machines
there will be Gornak.. Donbass and UIC,r, machines in use. In the present
year face-illumination will be introduced at two sites; next year the
number of directly lighted coal faces will be raised to at least 15.
. For tunnelling preparatory work "micro-delayed" shot-firing has
been found very effective. This year 1,200,000 metre/second (?)
detonators will be used, and next year 7,000,000.
High--speed tunnelling
Viith a high admixture of stone the following achievements have been
recorded year by year :
1954 Ochmansky's team tunnelled 112 metres at one heading
1955 Kupeo'a " " 147.5 " it " it
1956 Tverdon's " It 156 to of It 't
1956 ondik' a " it 176 it It it it
1956 Tverdon' s " " 230 " to " it
1957 i';iaralik' s 2510 5 " it it It
1957 Bohao's 317 n to n it
SECRET CONTROL
U. S. C1 C1ALS ON LY
/" luantities
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quantities won with nutter-loaders;
In ?ebruary 1954 V. Krejci's team got
In hay 1951 the same team got
In 1955 Snapky's team got
A year later Bogooz's team got
In December 1956 iynarez' team was the
first to exceed the figure of
and in hay 1957 it achieved the
world record of
11,264 tons of coal in one month
15,030 n tt It It $1 n
16,881 to if it it 18,163 It n it it n n
20000
27,287
The initial quantity of 6,93 tons hewn per many/shift had been raised to
12.8 tons.
Through the schools at each mine the remarkable skill of the most
successful miners in the Oi is spread as far as possible amongst other
workers.
SECRET C TROL
U. S, CFf'ICI 'S n LY
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