The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-12-19
CONDITION
AS To FUEL
ALARMING
Factories Making Non Essentials
are Beginning To be PlnChed
for Coal.

Factories engaged in the uanufac-
ture or "non-essentaIs' have begun
70 feel the pinch Of the coal shortage.
and with the Indiana coal mines and
the railroads giving preference to rail
road and domestic fuel. 1t viii not be
surprising if some industries in the
state are forced 10 close within the
= week
The steel. munition and car building
plants OF the Calumet region are run
ming fun capacity with from week to
two weeks supply of coal on hand and
the fuel administration is turning heav-
en- and earth to keep their supply equal
With tho demand. Meantime other in
dustrles in the 'non-essentiaI' class
are paying as high as s25 a ear premium
for coal and are at wits end.
or a hundred leading industries in the
Calumet region there are perhaps ten
in the 'non-eSsentiaI' class. The larg-
est or these is the w IS. Conkey plant
at Hammond, which employees over 1000
people The plant has weeks supply
OF coal on hand and the coal situation
is discoura ging. 1t is manufacturing
catalogues for some of the largest con-
Germs in the country including the great
corporations which sell seeds from
which next years gardens will be
grown in America. II the Conkey CO.
was forced to close because of coal
shortage it would have p disastrous
effect on general business depending
on II for catalogues. If the seed cat
slogues We're not printed seed dtstrbu-
ton would be practically stopped. 1t is
very essential to this country's war pro-
gram that the seeds be distributed and
foodstuffs grown next spring. That is
one little angle Of the proposition. The
employees OF the w, p Conkey Co. sub
scribed $4,000 of liberty bonds. II
they are not employed the bonds will
not bo paid for.
The Straube Piano Co. IS more fortu-
nately situated than the average indus
try, having months supply on hand
However E. II. Jacobson, president Of
the company resents any hint that his
plant is in the non-essential class.
There Is no mark against the piano
business" said Mr.. jacobson. In times
Of stress music is the only solace of the
soul. The government recognizes this.
There are strict orders that nothing in
the piano business be disturbed.
Farm implements cannot be consid-
cred non-essential to the country at this
time. nor factories manufacturing beds.
bedding or clothes. The cigar factories. /
IN view or The governments declaration
that the soldiers need smokes. feel they
arc aiding the country. The manufac-
turers OF automobile accessories such
IS automobile lights selling their
product to companies making trucks
for the government. In the last anal
ycis there are no industries in the re-
Elon that can be dispensed with, it is
stated.
4 reporter talked with superintend-
snts OF industries this morning includ-
ing the Malieable Iron works the Amer
lean steel Foundries. tho Central Rail /
way Signal Co. and steel mill heads,
lie was told that their supply is no
greater than three weeks in advance
and often runs az low as ono week.
A week Of zero weather had SO de-
morAlized transportation that on last
Saturday Evans Woolen, the federal fuel
administrator for Indiana wired all
miner owners in the state as follows:
During next week, and until present
grave CRISIS is met. please do not hesi-
tate IN giving rigorous preference to /
needs OF utilities and domestic consum- /
ers.'
Not only has the transportation sit
uation been very bad for more than a
week but for three days OF last week
all the larger clsl mines in Indiana
were closed down and at nc time during /
the week were all of them running at
normal capacity. As a result the In
diana situation is graver than 1t has
been at any time this year. and it Will
take vigorous action on the part Of
the fuel administration. the mines and
the railroads II public utilities are kept
soing and Indiana homes are kept warm. +
There are two demands for coal, T
other than those of the utilities and
homes. which must me cared for prompt
ly These arc tho demands or the rail- +
roads. which must have fuel else the
movement Of freight stops. and the de-
msnds Of the government for fuel 10
protect government work incident to t
the military program After these pub
Tic utilities and households are being
cared for Manifestly all the coal avail +
able for manufacturers IS what Is left
over after The above demands are met. !
and right nov there II practically NO
coal available for factories .9n Indiana !.
The situation IS improving rapidly +
and. unless another season of severe /
weather comes along. a week or ten
days should sec marked Improvement [
in the situation.