Arizona republican., 1917-12-16
DUE TO FUEL SHORTAGE ISREP0RTED TO
 BE ALMOST NATION WIDE
Republican A. p. leased Wirel

WASHINGTON. Dec. 15.-Reports of almost nation wide suffering due to lack of coal stirredSfuel administration officials today to redoubled efforts to release supplies held on tracks by car
 congestion.
 Orders went forth to fuel administra- tion representatives in the middle west to make every attempt to move coal to points declared to be facing coal famines A w Thompson. chair man of the operating committee of the eastern railroads, was called into
 conference by Fuel Administrator Car field for suggestions.
 Tonight Dr. Garfield named c. R.
 Moriarity of Cleveland general director
 of the Middle Western Coal Shippers
 Terminal Pool association and gave him full powers and authority to super wise transportation. Mir. Moriarity will
 work with Homer Johnson, federal fuel administrator for Ohio, and W. K.
 Prudden, administrator for Michigan. After his conference with Dr. Gar
 field, Mir. Thompson said the situation was serious, but that his committee
 was making great progress toward re- lieving congestion in the Pittsburg terminal territory. The full effect of the committees efforts, he said would
 not become apparent for several days Fuel Administrator Johnson report ed from Cleveland tonight that he had
 started sixty carloads of coal into that city where 100,00 men were idle today. MT. Johnson, who has been given full iva y1n .AP l li-+Y. f1nrtfS 1 said he would supply householders first | even if it forced industries to close. If the weather stays severe,'' he | telegraphed, my opinion is that all 1 industries, no matter how important.
 except in cases of vital importance for keeping 2, plant warm or maintaining refrigeration CT something of that
 sort, should give way to domestic
 neds. The miners are not loading and
 the emergency will become graver un- less the weather Saoderates. My office
 is distributing s.l the lake coal avail | able to domestic consumers and we are trying to make up . trainload for coun- try distribution. for the northwest part of the state"
 In emphasizing the need for coal con-
 servation today, Director Manning of
 the bureau of minss, declared that coal
 this year contains probably per cent
 moro ash; that as a result it's effective
 ness had been reduced 121z per cent. and on such a basis there was a de ficiency of 1S0,0o0.600 tons to be oyer come by good engineering and efficien- cy in the boiler rooms.
 The fuel administration tonight . turned to the car service commission for aid in getting coal to shipbuilding plants at Cleveland and Lorrain, Ohio,
 and Detroit, where 72 merchant vessels ) are under construction for the govern ment- The head of one plant wired
 today that he would be forced to sus- ] pend operations unless given fuel i'm l mediately.
 : Reports from New York today told s of widespread suffering in the city anG n1 state. The New York City board ot n health wired that thousands of chil- . dren were cold, and that an epidemic - of pneumonia was feared
 d At Quincy, Mass, the Fore River
 plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuildins . company is running on short time be- J cause there is no coal to be had, an6 y the government arsenal at WatertoWn B Mass, will shut down December IS il = coal is not obtained. In Beaver Val t ley, Penn, women and children were = reported to be housed in churches anC S schools that they might keep warm. - Street car systems in many town h also are threatened with suspension
 because Of lack of fuel