The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-05
GREAT DEMAND FOR COAL,
By HOLLAND


 New York September 4.-(special9 The three transcontinental lines of the northwest, especially the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific, will be able, if present plans are carried out, greatly to aid the government in securing the bounteous harvests for which the depart ment of agriculture at Washington IS now making an appeal to the people.
 This is especially the case with the Northern Pacific. After years of vicissi- tudes this property has become one or the most valuable railroad properties III the United States-valuable in the sense that the Northern Pacific is able to fur nish transportation and to stimulate production, the record of which should be q very important item in the statis- tics of next year that tell of produc- ton in the northwest. The Northern Pacissr 1rst now is furnishing larger amount Of transportation service to the public than ever before. That may be due to the fact that the public seems to be well satisfied with it's service and those who, as possessors of stock, own the Northern Pacific are already satis- fed
 Nevertheless much greater results could be secured in nearly all of the ter ritory served by this company if pro duction were developed under sane gov errlnentaI practice. The region can pro- duce a greatly increased volume of food, fuel and materials for manufacture of which it can export a large amount and leave enough to support a very large population.
 It was in part for the purpose of n1ak- ing preparation for the future develop ooy,4 of la par rifir region that Howard Elliott accepted the offer of chairman of the executive committee Of that company. He and those who chose him for that office are confident that the future of the Northern Pacific and in the fact it's immediate future will re- fleet general prosperity of the kind that will be so great as to stagger the imagi- nation.
 SOME OF THE GREAT DEMANDS
 For the next 12 months or perhaps for two years there Is to be an extraordi- nary demand from all over the United States for fuel coal. This demand has been especially emphasized at this time because of the apprehension that in the northwest there might come in the win ter months such shortage of coal as to amount practically to fuel famine The government can make demands upon the manufacturers of steel and munitions of war, and the shipbuilders for commodi- ties that are needed to carry on the war but unless there be an abundant sup ply of fuel it will be impossible to meet these demands in full Then there are also tho industries not directly occu- pied in manufacturing war materials, but of whose output there will be do- fnestfc need.
 How to meet this demand is one of the most perplcxing problems which the gov- crnment ar6 those in Washington who are assisting it are trying to solve. The amount of coal mined and loaded on cars and then transported is much greater than was the case a year ago and yet the amount is far from sufficient.
 There are sections of the country dis tant from the coal mines which are now experiencing greater difficulties in se- curing coal than has ever been their lot because the government makes heavy de- mand for fuel as also do the railroads which are so greatly occupied in govern ment service. The public service cor pcrations are also experiencing difficulty That was Illustrated by the recent tie-up for two hours of the entire subway sys- tenn in New York city. The coal sup ply fell short and although somebody may have been directly to blame yet had there been ar abundant supply of coal this interruption of traffic affecting hundreds of thousands would not have taken riace.
 The Washington authorities are per