The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-01-18
SUSPENSION OF OPERATION
OF INDUSTRIES rs DECREED


Washington, Jan. iL-Suspension OF
| operation of Americas manufacturing
Industries east OF the Mississippi and
4 in Louisiana and Minnesota for n
| period of FIVE days beginning tomor-
| row, was decreed by the Fuel Admins
/ tration in an order issued today de-
| signed to relieve the serious coal
| shortage The order even includes
| munition plants and excerpts only in
! dustries producing food and those re-
| curing continuous operation to main
| tain their business.
A preferential list OF consumers of
coal, in whose interest the order was
| drawn, is prescribed, including rail-
roads, householdsers. hospitals, charit-
| able institutions, army and navy can
| tonments, public utilities. strictly gov
| eminent enterprises, public buildings
and food manufactures.
As a means of additional relief. the
order provides that industry and bus
mess activity generally, including
stores, schools, saloons, theatres, and
| Office buildings, shall observe holiday
or Sunday conditions each Monday
| thereafter for ten weeks. Even street
| car lines will be put on a Sunday basis
on Mondays beginning January q and
up TO and including March %.
Daily newspapers may burn fuel as
| usual, excepting on Mondays fro1a
January 81 to March 25, inclusive. On
such days they may burn fuel to such
extent as is necessary to issue such
editions as they customarily issue on
| important national legal holidays.
When a newspaper does not customar-
| lily issue any edition at all on such
holidays, 1t may issue on edition on
these specified Mondays.
The order will not include natural
gas. nor use of wood as fuel, nor pow
err derived from water. 1t is said that
the exception of necessary war indus
tries from the operation of the order
might be more liberal than first an
nouncements indicated.
Concerns selling food will be permit
ted to operate until noon on the heat
less Mondays and stores selling drugs
will be allowed to remain open as
usual State fuel administrators in
whose hands the execution of the or
der is placed may close banks and
trust companies IL they think neces-
sary.
While the order does not mention
ship yards, it is known that they viii
be permitted to continue operations
This exception was made because of
the great need for vessels to move
supplies ready for shipment over seas.
The fuel administrators move !
came entirely without warning after
the stringent measure submitted by |
Administrator Garfield had been APP |
proved by President Wilson
A series of rulings or interpretations |
TO be issued in connection with the or
der is expected TO make the situation |
more clear. |
Under a provision which IL was /
decided this morning to insert in the |
order the government will become the |
purchaser of virtually all coal produc- |
ed in the FIVE day closing period. Mines !
producing coal under contract to in i
dustries which will be closed down will /
be directed to turn their output over |
to state fuel administrators under bin |
lading attached.
The treasury department will set
aside S25,00O,000 for the purchase of |
this coal.
Coal in transit to industries which |
will be closed will not be purchased /
by the government, but merely will be /
diverted by state fuel administrators |
and turned over TO consumers who |
come within the preferential list
The coal will be paid for by the ul-
innate consignee who will remit di-
originates.
The rulings TO be issued in connec-
ton with the order will be general
in scope Fuel Administrator Garfield
has reserved to himself the power
to make interpretations and state fuel
administrators will be permitted 10
make only special rulings TO fit cases
of the gravest emergency. These will
be subject to review by the fuel ad-
Protests began TO pour into the fuel
administration offices early this morn
Gg.
What we have done,'' said DIR. Gar
.ield. Il know will raise a storm of
objection throughout the country, but
The people will see that the order was
wise and was necessary"
Instructions covering the main
points OF the order went out early this
morning to all state fuel administra-
tors in the east.
Other departments of the govern
ment regarded the fuel order with
varying attitudes. The war and navy
however. had been con
suited and were in accord. While it /:
was felt that some order was neces- |
sary 10 meet the situation, some on !
eials believed the effect might have ]
been obtained by means less drastic in
effect TO the country's economic fabric. |
Some confusion was evidenced in the
result expected on the governments |
war program. The council OF nationaf
defense was anxious over whether
cloth factories supplying the govern
ment with material for uniforms and
overcoats would have to shut down.
If factories supplying materials es-
sential 70 the war program are closed
down, the result will be very detri-
mental said Charles Eiseman, vice
chairman OF the supplies committee.