Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-10-31
COAL SH0RT'|ACE
FEAR WILL SOON
! BE DlSSPATED
Dean Babcock Appointed
Member Of Advisory State
Fuel Committee.

The local coal situation has improv-
ed considerably during the last few
days, several car loads of coal having
arrived, according to r. b. Griffith,
chairman of the second fuel admins
tration district in this state. compris-
ing Grand Forks and Nelson counties,
and there is no immediate fear of any
coal shortage.
That further progress may be made
within a short time, seems evident
from the fact that Capt. Isaac r.
Baker at Bismarck, federal fuel ad-
ministrator for North Dakota, today
appointed Dean l.. j. Babcock of the
school of mines at the University of
OF the state penitentiary: John L.
Cashel. former state senator of Graf
ton: State Examiner j. r. Waters,
and w. Is. diversion. former state sem
ator, of Williston, a state advisory
committee of the United States fuel
administration. This new committee
will act in an advisory capacity to the
administrator at Bismarck, and its
work will supplement that OF the To-
cal district committees.
Mr.. Griffith. chairman of the Grand
Forks and Nelson counties committee,
said today that the duties of the COM
mittee appeared to have been some
what misunderstood. The committee
has no power or authority to obtain
coal for anybody in particular. It's
duties are defined as purely advisory,
and the members nave been asked TO
make a study of the coal situation and
to report thereon to the administra-
tor who then determines upon
steps which will be taken after 1ur-
ther conference with the central adj
ministration at Washington.
zone thing should be pointed out
Mr.. Griffith said, land that is that our
people should be urged again ana
again to use Ignite coal. 1t is almost
a patriotic duty to p%atronize GU own
state in this respect. Here we nave
rich coal and still We keep
on sending our perfectly good money
"a Pennsylvania and the other distant
coal fields.
.'To-some extent. it really is a su-
perstition that Ignite will not be as
good fuel as anthracite and bltunln.
Gus soft coal. It's simply a matter OF
getting accustomed to the use. am
told that when coal was first usea, a
similar aversion to the "~newfangled
thing was apparent. There were
some people who actually believed
that the only fuel which amounted to
anything was wood. We know better
now. and I am certain that 1T Will
soon become clear to the people OF
this state as we'll as to some OF our
neighbors that Ignite is a very salts
factory fuel substance which should
be used much more frequently h is
the case now.
sour committee can make recon-
mendations along this line. But we
cannot direct the coal dealers of the
city to deliver certain quantities OF
coal to their customers. That's out
side our duties. We have been asked
to survey the situation here, and we
have already made a report Of what
we have observed. and forwarded 1t TO
BISMARCK. That report deals with
the fuel problem in as exhaustive
Imanner as possible. We have offered.
and will offer. u suggestions on the
basis Of what our Investigations re-
veal here. Beyond that we nave no
authority to go. and it is up to the
administration to accept or reject u
recommendations"