Big Band Jazz in Black West Virginia by Christopher Wilkinson

Author:Christopher Wilkinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: 2012-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Comparative Prosperity Arrives: September 1933–April 1935

The fortunes of the Price Hill miners photographed in 1931 changed dramatically after September 18, 1933, as did those of miners throughout the Mountain State. For it was on that day that President Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 6137, “Code of Fair Competition for the Bituminous Coal Industry.” That order ratified labor agreements between the coal operators and the United Mine Workers of America and brought stability to an industry that had been in chaos since October 1929.

As previously noted, the positive effects of the Bituminous Coal Code on the economy of the Mountain State in general and upon its thousands of miners, both black and white, were dramatic. Employment in the mines rose 28 percent by 1935. Job growth led to increased coal production, up by almost 14 percent in the same period. Wages, reflecting standards agreed to by labor and management, began to increase dramatically as well (Thomas 1998, 99).

The last of these developments is most germane to the present discussion. As wages rose above the amount needed simply to feed, clothe, and house their families, miners were in a position to spend a portion of their earnings on entertainment. This occurred after the Bituminous Coal Code was implemented. The improved financial conditions were reflected in a dramatic increase in the number of public dances held and in the number of bands that played for these occasions.

Table 6.1 documents the increase in the number of dances that surely was a consequence of the improving coal economy in the state. It not only shows the upsurge in the number of public dances that occurred beginning in 1934, it also shows that the number of coalfield communities that provided sites for these dances was expanding as well.

Table 6.1. Locations and numbers of public dances in West Virginia September 1933–April 1935

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.