The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-20

A special effort was made today to provide ships with bunker coal and Fuel Administrator Garfield arranged with Chairman Hurley of the shipping board to pool tugs and barges in each expedite the work.
 Pooling was suggested to the fuel administration by A. H. Smith, assis. tant director general of the railroads, who declared that some piers supplied with coal had no barges to transport it. and that others with no coal on hand were we'll supplied with barges.
 Reports from New York said coal was moving muck more freely to the piers and that it now was question only of getting it aboard ships. Men will be kept hard at work all day to- morrow in the principal Atlantic ports, keeping the coal moving.
 A new danger threatened the coal output today. Empty cars began to reach the chief bituminous mining re- gions in diminishing numbers.
 4s This was due. it was said, in part. to delay attending the diversion of coal from industries closed down to those permitted to run In most of the big industrial centers. switching work was almost doubled and consequently there was considerable confusion in distrib- uting the coal that arrived
 GARFIELD ISSUES STATEMENT
 Fuel Administrator Garfield tonight issued a statement in which he said;
 "The general compliance and almost complete enforcement of the regulation curtailing industrial use of fuel were reported to the fuel administration to- day. Local officials of the fuel admin istration throughout the east reported that the order was generally effective. The spirit of cooperation showed plainly in the many telegrams received today. which were singularly free from requests for exemption from the regu- lation. Most of them made the flat statement that the regulation would be compiled with: In fact, and in spirit that manufacturing would be halted and that merchandise would be kept off the crowded railroads. Railroad officials cooperating with the fuel ad- Hll1lStLdtioA 4SPOAtC0 SCHCl dlly HIT proved transportation conditions in the eastern part of the country. The re- Aports indicated that the way was rap- idly being cleared for the movement of coal for the bunkering of ships now held upon at Atlantic ports and for keeping the country warm. Improve rnent was also noted In the central west, despite the continued zero weather which has been impeding rail- road operation.
 GOOD B. & o. REPORT
 Reports from the Baltimore and Ohio railroad showed a supply of 1905 cars available for coal mines in west ern irginia- This was an increase of 100 over the numbers available the day before. On the first day the restric- tive regulation was effective with or This was the best movement of coal this railroad has shown in that dis trict in 60 days.
 Reports direct to the fuel admin istration showed that coal in transit, consigned to or already arrived at tide- water points for the bunkering of ships destined to the American forces in Europe and to the nations asso- ciated with the United States in tho war were today more than sufficient Ito bunker the ships now in port Sup plies sufficient to insure the prompt bunkerin of vessels for sometime to come are en route. Upward of .00o tons of coal is in cars for bunkering and Is on the way to south Atlantic ports. Approximately 150.0o0 tons is in
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