The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-03
FIRST MOVE MADE ID CURTAIL ALL INDUSTRIES NOT ESSENTIAL IN WAR Preferred List of Coal Con- sumers Sent Out by Fuel
 Administration DEFINITE REQUEST MADE TO OPERATORS
 TO FOLLOW RULE Drastic Step Found Neces- sary to Relieve the Five Million-Ton Shortage
 Evident

Washington, December 2. The governments first move toward curtailing nonessen- |tial industries during the war was made today when Ithe fuel administration sent to coal producers a pre- ferred list of consumers to serve as a guide in filling lorders.
 The list establishes preferential shipment for government orders,
 railway fuel, household requirements,
 public utilities, steel plants, coke
 ovens and munitions plants. | Although no direct order was issued requiring operators to give the list preference, definite request was made and fuel administration officials be- l4ieve 1t will be followed. The priority { asked for a period of 30 days.
 "The requests are designed" said
 Hnel Administrator Garfield tonight. D insure fulfilling of the requirements tas those coal users whose activities laa essential to the military and eco-
 mic efficiency of the nation
 OPERATORS TO REPORT i 10 obtain coal for emergency re-
 ra rements operators were asked to notify the fuel administration immedi- atasy of the amounts of their free ton- na ge. This coal will be used to sup ply communities that run short unex- pectedly.
 The preferential lists went to vir- tually every operator in the country, except in the Rocky mountain districts. which serve local consumers. More than 5000 were mailed.
 Facing a coal shortage of 5.000.ooo tons for the country the fuel administra- tion determined that a radical step was necessary if essential industries and public utilities were to be kept running It turned out that sugges- tions of a list of nonessential indus tries be prepared, to which coal should be denied and established instead the
  jure the banking credit of concerns which it is considered certain will suf- fer.
 GREATER POWER GIVEN Control of coal production and dis tribution gives the government great CT power to regulate industry than is contained even in the priority of ship
 ment act The two powers will be used jointly and a general priority order already prepared by the committee on priority will fit in with the request to coal producers made today by the fuel administration.
 This order will establish priority
 for specific materials, including coal, and later probably will be extended to
 cover industries as whole. REQUESTS VARY SLIGHTLY
 Todays preferential list went out in slight different form to the various coal producing fields. Operators in Ala
 bama, Tennessee, Oklahoma. Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky. Illinois, Indiana and Colorado were requested to give preference in shipment to government orders, railway fuel. domestic require- ments, public utilities and munitions plants; those in Kentucky and Penn,< i sylvania to government orders, rs
 way fuel. domestic requirements 1 lie utilities, steel plants, bxs
 coke ovens and munitions D
 those in Virginia and Nlia
 to government order 4uel, tirewater shipments fGS gland, domestic requirements, pH1c utili- | ties and munitions plants.