The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-12-18
Tuesday, December Is: 1917
THE COAL SITUATION.

Thirty days ago it looked as if
the supply of coal would be ade'
uuate fcr the wants of the people
of the city. Today, after a week
Of freezing weather, we know that
the supply is not adequate. In fact
there is TO supply at all.
Numbers of families are without
fuel. A great many people will
suffer unless something is done to
relieve their distress at once. There
are but two things which can be
done.
The first of these is to buy all
the wood possible. People who have
farms and can secure wood from
the farms should lose no time in
supplying their own wants and the
wants of others with this wood. Even
If a man has coal for the winter he
should burn wood and save the
coal. But at this season of the
year when the roads are usually so
bad and when the weather is 80 in
clemtnt it will not be possible to
have a great deal of wood cut and
hauled.
The only real relief will come
from cooperation. It is a time
when every man having supply
of coal must be his brothers keep
er. A man who has four tons of
coal stored for the winter must help
out those who have none. And
there is but one way in which the
supply may be distributed and that
is by the city. The city should at
once take one of the street wagons
and put it in charge of compe-
tent driver and assign it to a dis
tribution of the coal supply. When
this is done the city should buy from
every person who has more than
thirty days supply of coal all that
he will sell at current prices and
resell it in barrel lots to those who
must have fuel and cannot obtain
it otherwise.
The coal should be sold without
profit. Coal now should sell in Abb
beville for something like eight
dollars and twenty-five cents to
eight dollars and a half per ton. An
ordinary barrelful weighs about
two hundred and twenty-five pounds
SO that for each barrelful about
nine dollars will be received. The
extra amount will not more than
cover the loss from hauling.
We believe, as we have said, that
this scheme at present is imperative
if the people are to be kept from
suffering. A great many poor peo-
pie and a great many of the negroes
are not able to store coal in the
summer months and depend on the
hand-to-mouth way. But the sue
cess of the scheme will depend on
whether or not the people have it
IN their hearts to help those who
are in need. This can only be as
certained by canvass of the city.
Or it might be, if the city council
would call for volunteers in the
matter, that a great many people
would offer coal to the city at this
time. In whatever way it may be
done, we emphasize the statement
already made that SOMETHING
MUST BE DONE AND THAT
QUICKLY.
Those people. who sell coal will
cot suffer by helping others. From
time to time coal will be moving
and there will be enough received
to keep everybody from suffering
if everybody is economical and if
chose who are. able to do so secure
wood and in this way save the coal.
The mayor and members of the
council should give thiS:.matter- their
immediate consideration. Our ac-
'Guaintance with the coal situation
and with the needs of the people at
this time warrants US IN saying this
much. .:
Another thing we should say, and
that is that the people hert should
be prepared to pay for coal when
. &c daliuerpd No coal should bt