Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill Extending Mandatory Provisions of the Coal Mine Safety Act.

I HAVE approved H.R. 3584 "To amend the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act so as to provide further for the prevention of accidents in coal mines."

The bill is designed to extend the mandatory safety provisions of that act to coal mines regularly employing less than 15 men underground, which are now exempt from the requirements.

Its primary purpose is to reduce casualties in coal mines.

During the early months of 1963 two major coal mine disasters occurred, with 59 lives lost. President Kennedy directed Secretary of the Interior Udall to review present mine safety regulations and to present his views on the need for further legislation to prevent accidents in the future. This bill stems from the recommendations made by Secretary Udall.

The efforts of many, many men made possible the enactment of this much needed legislation. Some of them are truly pioneers in the cause of mine safety legislation and their association with this legislation goes back a decade or more: Congressman Dent of Pennsylvania and his colleagues on the House Education and Labor Committee; Senator Morse of Oregon and his colleagues on the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee; Senator Clark of Pennsylvania, who has labored on this legislation for many years; Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia, whose association with the legislation dates back to his service in the House of Representatives. All miners--and their families--who are assured of greater protection as a result of this bill owe them a debt of gratitude.

While this bill has been under consideration in the House and Senate, during 1965 and 1966, underground disasters have occurred at coal mines killing a total of 24 men. One of the disasters occurred as recently as March 2, 1966, killing three men in a small mine that normally employed four persons.

This bill is not a cure-all and it will not prevent all disasters, but it will give greater protection by extending the safety provisions of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act to all underground coal miners, by strengthening enforcement orders upon a finding of a serious violation of safety requirements, and by enlarging and intensifying coal mine safety educational programs in cooperation with the States.

In enacting this bill we have sought to achieve the paramount purpose of reducing casualties in coal mines, but to achieve it with the minimum burden upon the coal mining industry. This, we believe, we have accomplished.