Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-10-23
THE COAL PROBLEM.

No amount Of optimism can gloss
over the seriousness Of the coal SIT
uation as it is presented to the Ameri-
can public and Fuel Administrator
Garfield today. At time when every
coal mine should be producing to the
very limit Of its capacity there are
thousands Of men idle and hundreds
of workings from which not an ounce
of coal is being raised.
At any time coal strike, with its
resultant decrease in production Is q
serious matter. At the beginning OF
winter it is tragedy, and at this par
ticular juncture it will be nothing
short Of a catastrophe unless 1t can
be brought to quick conclusion In
such a manner that the nation shall
be assured OF uninterrupted produc,
ton for the remainder of the winter
season.
A few weeks ago The Courier ex'
pressed the opinion that coal short
age would be apparent in the country
by New Years day. It is in evidence
now in several districts and was offer.
ing serious problems for the fuel ad'
ministrator to solve even before the
miners Of the central competitive els
trict rebelled against their union Of
ficials and declined to continue at
work. A meeting is in progress to
day to decide whether the strike or
dered for tomorrow In the southwest
ern coal field-Missouri, Kansas, Okla
homa and Arkansas-shall become a
realty.
Since DR.. Garfield has been fuel ad
ministrator he has succeeded in
offending the coal operators almost to
man, and the sudden strike in iii
nois gives evidence that he does moi
enjoy the confidence of the miners. He
has had the ear of considerable pol,
ton of the coal buying public, how
ever. and purchases OF coal in ad
vance of cold weather have not been
made in many instances because oi
his confident statements. that there
was no danger OF coal shortage and
his repeated limitations that retail
prices woud be lowered materially.
A few days ago he admitted he had
no information to enable him to deter
mine whether the production Of Goa
this year would be equal to the de
mand. The only revisions he has
affected as to prices have been in the
form of slight increases or decrease,
which mean almost nothing to the in
dividual buyer.
In his manifesto to the miners ant
operators yesterday DR.. Garfield con
veyed a rather broad intimation that
in his belief. the strike in Illinois hat
been instigated by operators in an eff
| hivvI ~ n
prices for coal to compensate the EN-
ployers for increasing wages in &C
cordance with their recent agreemen
with miners union oficials.
1t is not reasonable to take thi'
view. An increased selling price wou!t
net no profit to the mine owners i
they should pay the amount of the in
crease to their employees in the form
of higher wages. Stoppage Of WORT
/ in the mines is costly to the operator,
because lost sales and damage from
watef and falling roofs. There ap
pears no good reason why they woul,
desire a strike as against very prac
teal reason why they would seek t,
avoid one.
The statement of yesterday contain
a threat. lightly yelled, that the fua
/, administrator will commander tn
mines il the operators are unable t
keep them producing, suggestion
i which at once opens the question a
to his ability to handle such situa
ton.
! Thus far he has shown most com
prehensive lack of acquaintance wit
every detail OF the complicated Goa