The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-12
Fuel Famine Keeps Euro
pean Neutrals from Taking
Sides Against Germany
ALLIES UNABLE TO
MEET THE DEMAND
Great Suffering Expected to Result
From Shortage in Several
Countries During Com
ing Winter

Karl H. Won Wiegand, the famous
newspaper correspondent was the last
America newspaper man to leave Berlin
and he has only recently arrived in
America from the Scandinavian coun-
tries. In the Philadelphia Public Ledger
of Wednesday he has the following dis
patch under New York date line:
Coal Is king in Europe today It or
ne is exacting a kings ransom as
tribute. A German scientist has pre-
dicted that King Coal" would decide the
Issue of the war. That he already is,
and with the approach of winter will be-
come more a tremendous factor is APP
parent on all sides. Germany and Eng
land are the sources of supply The pro-
duction in both countries is limited by
the scarcity of labor. which with every
month of the war grows as a problem.
Equally as important, IL not even more
30 than ammunition, is coal in the con-
duet of the war. 1t is the absolute es-
sential to the fleets that they can fight,
to the railways to transport troops and
supplies, and to the mercantile marine to
bring supplies to England and allies.
England must supply not only the needs
rine and domestic requirements for cleo
trio power and heating, but also those
of France, Italy and, so far as possible,
Russia And in shipping coal to those
countries the German sub marines get in
their work.
Norway, Sweden, Denmark. Holland,
Switzerland, France Italy and Russia
will freeze" this winter as never before.
Towns and cities will be in darkness or
semi-da rkness because of the lack of coal
for power and gas plants.
GERMANY HOLDS COAL MINES
Germany. aside from her own big coal
fields, holds the coal mines of France
and Belgium. Coal is the throttle grip
Germany has on the neutrals to an ex-
ciated in America. 1t is with coal that
she exacts compensation from Switzer-
land, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and to
some extent until recently even from
Norway. Had Washington understood
the coal problem in Europe and the vital
factor it is, the expectation of the north
ern neutrals to break with Germany
would never have been set up
The link which binds the northern
reutrals and to a large extent Switzer-
land also to Germany is coal This link,
in view of the seriousness of the tonnage
question created by the submarines ana
the inability of England to deliver what
the countries absolutely must have, is so
strong that even the powerful embargo
club of the United States is not likely
to break it. The alleged refusal of the
American people as viewed from Copen-
hagen, Stockholm, to see that the neu-
trails are being crucified between food
and coal, is arousing intense bitterness
in the Scandinavian countries and Hol-
land against America
COAL BETTER THAN GOLD
Money will not buy coal in Germany
for export purposes. Not even gold will
ton is involved. Holland, Denmark,
Sweden and Switzerland simply must
have some coal Otherwise the railways,
electric light and power and gas plants
must shut down.
In Sweden alone no fewer than 800, 900
workingmen in various industries and
works are dependent for employment
upon a certain amount of coal being OBJ
tanned. Before the war Sweden obtained
fourth-fifths of her coal from England.
Today she gets little and some months
none at ALL The same is true of Den
mark and Holland
German coal is more powerful in these
neutral countries than German gold. The
Germans know that. They make the full
est use of it to exact as compensation
whatever they may be able to get in re-
turn from those countries. This com
pensation" usually consists of horses,
cattle. sometimes pork. butter, eggs and
other home products.
A mere glance at the figures shows
what factor coal is in the war and
especially in the continued relations be-
tween Germany and the remaining neu-
trails In 1914 Great Britain produced
297, s9e, SIT tons of coal, Germany 270, 594 $50
and Austria Hungary 59647,957 tons. In
addition to her own vast fields, Germany
now holds the greater part of France s
coal mines, with their annual production
of g. 900 tons, and all of the Belgian
mines. which produced 500 tons In
1914.
COAL AT SS4 A TON
British coal, the little OBJ tainable, was
selling in Stockholm at SS4 a ton when ]
left there. German coal at 80 kroner or