Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 21, 1993                   TAG: 9306210088
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OAKWOOD                                LENGTH: Medium

EXECUTIVE: MINING IN DECLINE COALFIELDS RESIDENTS GET GRIM FORECAST

"The decline of the coal industry will be more dramatic and quicker than you realize," Bristol-based United Co. President James McGlothlin told 100 people gathered for a county jobs conference.

McGlothlin said mining jobs in the county have decreased by 26 percent over the past five years and by 12 percent in 1992 alone. He predicted those jobs would not return.

The number of active mines in the county has also declined, although the amount of coal harvested has been constant, he said.

The county now has about 10,000 people working in mining or coal-related industries, he said. Those jobs are the highest-paid in the county, McGlothlin said.

The decline in the county's school population signals that residents are beginning to move to find better opportunities, he said. Buchanan County's population has dropped by about 8,000 over the past 10 years.

Poor mining conditions that increase costs for mining companies are a factor in the decline of the county's coal industry, he said.

"We are not competitive in the coal industry today. The coal industry in Buchanan County is not profitable today. There is little left to do," he said.

"The coal industry will be here for some time to come, but we are going to expire as an industry," he said. "We can no longer count on coal to be the goosethat laid the golden egg . . . I want to make you aware that now is the time to do something in Buchanan County."

McGlothlin said there are several things the county can do to prepare for the future, including focusing on job opportunities in new areas. He also suggested the Board of Supervisors hire people to create a plan for economic development.