The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-10
Fuel Administrator Makes New
Ruling Against Capital.
Divert Supply Here That Other
Cities May Have Aid.
DELIVER BUT z WEEKS SUPPLY
And No TOpekan Who Has Two
Weeks Coal Can Buy 1t.
Intense Suffering Is Reported
From Over Kansas.

Effective today. Topeka dealers.
under an order issued by Emerson
Carey state fuel administrator, will
not be allowed to deliver more than
two weeks supply of coal to any con-
sumer. Neither will they be allowed
to deliver coal to consumers who have
a two weeks supply on hand.
Carey's order was made today in
a telegram to C. H. Danner. Shawnee
county fuel director, and was placed
in effect by the latter at once.
The order is in connection with an
attempt to conserve the supply in the
state. In his telegram. Carey also
said:
Il am compelled to divert coal for
three days from Topeka to points
absolutely out of coal. There are
hundreds of towns in Kansas without
pound of coal on hand"
Speaking over the long distance
telephone Carey told the State Jour
nal that his diversion order does not
apply to coal now in transit. He as
serted Kansas City, Kan. and Wich-
ita are also included in the embargo
and asserted that the three cities have
reasonable" supply on hand.
Cause Suffering Here.
When the order was first issued it
served rs a bomb to Topeka coal
dealers. They construed ii to mean
that coal in transit would be divert
ed. This would have left Topeka fac
ing a famine that would mean much
suffering. Careys statement that coal
in transit would not be interfered with
frightened things up considerably.
but dealers still asserted that chaos
| to a certain extent will result unless
special dispensations can be obtained
1t is known that several big insti-
tutions and factories here are rum
ming from hand to mouth" as to
| fuel. Among these institutions is the
state hospital, which uses from 40 to
| SO tons a day. There is a grave dan
ger that a three days embargo on
shipments from the mines will cause
considerable shivering there.
I'VE have to divide up what supply
there is" said Carey today. Down
at Ell Dorado the condition is serious
! The town has 200 cases of typhoid
! and $50 cases of pneumonia and no
| coal. There were two cars of Santa
Fe coal on the side track there sun
day, but the railroad wouldn't let go
! of il. Citizens succeeded in seizing
about half of the two cars, but they
drove them away before they could
get the other half. The conditions
are further agitated by congestion
from the oil fields. At Yates Center,
they haven't any coal at all. We had
to confiscate a car from the Missouri
| Pacific Sunday"
State Facing Crisis.
Carey declared that the state is
facing q crisis and only even distri-
! button of the available coal supply
/ will alleviate conditions.
The Topeka conditions today
reached stage where only day or
two will make them acute. Consume
ers were making a run on retailers.
! The latter brought every available
means into play to make deliveries
One firm reported that it had hired"
everything that would haul coal to
| help in delivering. H NJ. Fellows
manager here for the Jackson Walker
company. asserted that his firm had
at noon received orders for between
| 400 and 500 tons of coal since the Of
| flee opened this morning
we are trying to separate the
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