Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1917-11-15
CITY IN GRIP OF
A COAL FAMINE
Dealers Here Are Out of Coal
and Find II Almost Impossible
10 Get More of IL.
ARE AFTER EMERGENCY FUEL
Issue IS. q. b" for State Aid and
Ask People Only 10 Order for
Immediate Needs.

With the coal supply Of the city
practically exhausted. Alma is now
facing the most serious fuel famine
il the history of the city The real
ization of the great shortage here
/ came Tuesday evening, when the coal
dealers of the city met with the coun-
ell at the city hall, and immediate
steps were taken 10 secure coal To
stop the famine, which would mean
hundreds of cold hearthstones ia the
city
The coal dealers of the city nave
/ been cooperating for some time ia
4 the effort to secure enough coal 10 go
the rounds OF the places in Alma, but
every effort on the part of the local
dealers has proved unavaiing. and
now they have practically no coal OH
hand
The first Of the week the dealers
furnished aiiidavits which were taken
Ito the council chambers and which
/ are now in the hands of State Fuel
administrator Prudden at lansing
telling OF the fuel ON hand. and the
lrceds of the various local dealers ~
carry the city through the winter.
A the meeting Tuesday evening it
was decided to warn all Alma people
through The Record to go as easy AS
possible on their fuel, in view OF the
great shortage.
Another action which WAS taken
was to decide to place orders with the
drivers Of the coal wagons TO refuse
Ia place coal in bins where coal was
On hand i'm quantity sufficient to
last for week on so. II is up TO the
People OF Alma to simply order
enough for present needs, and more
than this cannot bc obtained from the
Alma coal dealers until such a time
as The present situation changes
greatly.
A ton to the order may be the rule
iol the entire winter if the present
situation does not materially improve,
So that the dealers can get a great
deal more coal than they have been
receiving SO far this fall
1t was decided at the council meet
ing Tuesday evening that the city
should take up the fuel matter and
lend every effort along with those of
the coal dealers 10 secure fuel for
Alma. AS a result of this, Mayor Ira
II. Mckinney went TO Lansing yes
terday to confer with State Fuel Ad-
ministrator Prudden in an attempt
tc get emergency coal shipped to
Alma at once, to put an end to the
threatened famine for the present at
least
Stories Of how some people have
attempted to hog coal Of late were
told Tuesday night, although no
names were mentioned, and at the
same time il was told how some peo-
pie in the city with small children
were being forced to go without coal,
being unable to get it. One story in
particular was related of driver
from one of the local companies tax
ing load of coal TO a certain house
ard finding a load of coal from each
OF the other companies then at this
house. The driver called up his com
pany for instructions, with the re
suit that this load Of coal was deliv-
cred elsewhere.
The dealers are out TO make every
possible effort for fair play along
with the efforts to secure fuel, and
such people will not be able to get
more than their allotted amount Of
fuel in the future, it is certain.
1t may be said that the dealers here
have made every honest effort to Sc
cure fuel, and have failed just as have
the dealers in nearly every city in
the country They should not be
blamed for the shortage. which is not
OF their making Some also seem to
think that they are holding up for
high prices Government prices have
been fixed and coal must be sold with
a certain margin of profit, above
which they cannot go, which shows
what such reports amount to.
1t is now up to the people of the
city Of Alma to cooperate to the
Limit and order no more than just
enough coal for immediate needs. Be
fair and all will be able TO get
enough to run through. Don't try to
be coal hog. as the dealers here will
simply shut down on such people.