A Study On The Coal Mining Industry In Sichuan During The Anti-Japan Imperialism War

The National Government moved the capital to Chongqing not long after the War of Resistance against Japan broke out. Chongqing became the center of China's southwest Anti-Japan Imperialism War base area. Being a big inland province and the location of the central government, Sichuan got an unprecedented development in industry. The coal mining industry acquired the priority to be developed over other industry because the coal was the important fuel and raw material. After coal fields in northeast and north China were occupied by Japanese aggressor, the National Government began to attach importance to the coal mining industrial development in the southwest and northwest of China.During the first half of the anti-Japanese war, not only state-operated coal mining industry but also privately owned coal mining industry achieved rapid development with the increasing investment and technological innovation. The development of the coal mining industry was composed of following aspects. The first one was the number of the company running coal-mine increased and the scale of coal-mine companies extended. The second one was the coal yield increased greatly. And the last one was the progress of production technique. The equipment of Tianfu company had been updated by making full use of the equipment moved from the east. And it soon became a main force in mechanical production in Sichuan. In order to increase the coal output, the National Government also provided some convenience for coal-mines, such as helping to buy machinery. The production technique of coal-mine had been improved greatly and the level of the mechanization had been raised. With the help of the central government and Sichuan provincial government, the productivity of the coal-mine had risen remarkably and the coal yield increased year by year. Therefore, the development of the coal mining industry in Sichuan played a very important role in overcoming Japan imperialism.In the latter half of the anti-Japanese war, the coal mining industry in Sichuan was on the wane and the privately owned coal mining industry was getting worse and worse due to the inflation policy,limitted price policy and tax policy of the central government. The decline of the coal mining industry began with the coal which was kept too long in stock. The coal which could not be sold led to the short of capital. A lot of coal-mine companies without adequate money had to go into bankruptcy and the big ones which were maintaining were forced into reduction of output. The coal yield of the whole province descended year by year with bankruptcy and reduction of coal-mines. The crisis of coal mining industry not only held back the development of industry but also affected people's daily life. Confronting the crisis of coal mining industry ,the National Government took some measures to remedy it, such as buying the coal which was kept too long in stock,providing subsidy and industry loan. But these measures could not save the coal mining industry from serious difficulties.After winning the anti-Japanese war, Sichuan lost its important position of industrial center because of the National Government and lots of factories moved east. The National Government cut down the state-operated coal mining industry and terminated all help to the privately owned coal mining industry. The coal mining industry of Sichuan province went to a difficult position and quickly withered.