The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-10-26
MOSCOW FACING
SERIOUS FAMINE
NEARLY EVERY FUEL DEALER In
TOWN SHORT ON SUPPLY AND
NO RELIEF in SIGHT
Tons of Coal and Thousands of Cords
of Wood Withheld From Market
by Car Shortage

|
With but single exception ever.
fuel dealer in town is short in hi
supply of coal and wood, and sees n,
relief in sight.
A cold snap of even the shortes
duration would place many homes il
position of actual suffering. Not only
is the coal situation threatening, bu
the supply of wood is much lowel
than it has ever been. Tons of Goa
at the mines and thousands of cords
of wood in the forests are being with
held from the market because OF lack
of transportation.
I'VE have no wood at all, our sup
ply having been exhausted several
days ago. said Wm Staples of the
w. A. Lauder Feed company. We
don't handle coal, and we don't know
when we will get any wood All of the
cars used to haul fuel are now
hauling wheat to the east"
while we have a supply of fuel
now," said a representative of the
Moscow Commission company, I'VE
don't know where the next supply is
coming from when this is exhausted.
We have been notified that the rail-
roads have called off any definite
service to the coal mines and are now
hauling only when cars can be secur-
ed, which becomes less often every
week. The Rock Springs district, one
of the principal sources of coal sup
ply, is among the mines cut off. A
few supply men, however, insist that
they will be able to fill all orders
soon"
w II. Conner, manager of the Pot
latch .Lumher company's local officey
finds the situation the same with his
company as with the majority Of local
dealers. Were feeling the effects of
the car shortage in the matter of OBJ
tanning fuel" he said. 1--WE haven't
much of supply on hand now, either
of wood or coal"
Shortage of help is one of the
causes tending to make the situation
acute, according to report sent to
]. L. Roice, manager of the Madison
Lumber company. Some mines re-
port" Mr.. Roice said, that lack of
help is almost as serious with them
as lack of transportation. They say
that while they have cars in which to
ship the fuel, they can't get men to
do the mining or logging. Wood,
which ordinarily one would expect to
find in ample quantities in this coun-
try, is as scarce as coal. Our sup
ply of both wood and coal is low,
and prospects of getting more are not
bright"
So acute has the situation become
n Spokane that fuel dealers are cir
,ulating a petition to be presented to
he interstate commerce commission
asking them to compel the reservation |
If cars in which to ship coal. The |
supply in that city has grown less |
md less until now nearly all stocks |
ire depleted.
There is not an average of half |
ton OF coal for each consumer in |
he smaller towns of the Inland En-
,ire," is the statement one Spokane
uel dealer gives out. "The excellent
weather. is the only thing that has
aved the situation thus far"
Prominent dealers and supply men
gree that something must be done
D divert cars from the shipping OF
heat to the shipping of coal. Cars
Ding east with wheat do not come
ack," one of them states. THAT is
ur experience. The Northern Pa
lfic is losing at the rate of 10 cars
day and this has been going on for
D days Many of the cars going east
ill never return to this territory, but
Ill be worn out on eastern lines"
The railroads have issued state
ents that the situation is beyond
lem in the matter Of immediate re-
eff.