The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-01-24
ave suggested that they did.

have suggested that they did.
How did the President determine the
price of cosl2 + Is what those who
are in a position TO know say about
that.
Mr.. Wilson asked the Federal Trade
Commission 70 report on the cost Of
production Of bituminous coal. The
report was given 70 him by the same
William b. Colver who Influenced Sec
rotary Bakers denunciation of the earl
Ter agreement. At that time washing
ton expected colver to be named as Fuel
Administrator. Colver shared that e&-
pectation, and wanted the office.
The report went 10 the White House.
Mr.. Wilson studied It. hen he put on
his hat and walked across, in that in
formal fashion Of his that is so dis
concerting to bureaucrats. TO the Trade
Commission onice. He asked Colver
how the figures had been determined
And after he had listened TO ColveT's
explanation he decided 10 talk to ac-
countants. They told him that the cost
hgures were based on an investigation
Of 100 mines out Of 5000. one Of them
said:
Mr.. President, the prices hxed on the
dC4S u 1Ai Ae 10 @NH1~N@ ~
and provisional"
Mr.. Wilson's proclamation specihcal-
~ stated the prices to he provisional
And Or. Garneld, instead Of Mr.. Colver,
became fuel administrator.
Now came the beginning Of the real
shortage and the Jam on the railroads.
The railroads say-and it's true-that
they are doing the best they can. They
gave the mines 925,6el more cars in
eight months Of the past year than in
the same time the previous. and still
fell short Of requests by more than two
million cars. Those figures back up the
coal mems assertion that they can't get
cars-but they also back up the rail-
road mems plea thu they are making
an unprecedented effort. because 1915
was a record year in coal movement
and production.
what you must realize is that You.
with your war and all your other actlvl-
ties. are putting an absolutely stagser-
ing burden on the railroads. Your army
had TO have lumber for cantonmentS.
Your munitions plants made new
freight. Your troops-meny more than
q million Of them-had to be moved.
The ships you are building 10 beat the
submarines have to be made from ma
terials that the railroads must carry 70
the shipyards. And you crippled the
railroads even while you were making
these unprecedented demands upon
them.
You have sent every engine That has
been made here since April to France
for the lines you are building behind
Pershing's battle front You have call
ed upon thousands OF railroad men to
volunteer FOR your army and have draft
ed thousands more.
And all the time freight has been pill
ine.aip. What it comes TO IS this: You
have asked the railroads 10 move half
as much freight again as thAy did last
year-and even last year they were
strained TO the very limit Of their
equipment to meet your demands. Now
they arc asked to do more. suppose
you were required 10 put three Pints Of
water INTO a quart measure? That's
What you've put up TO tho railroads.
Three Pints TO the Quart.
They arc trying, There is>t any
donb, about chat. They pooled freight
cars and engines. They created the
Railroads War Board, in Washington,
which issued orders TO every road IN
the country belonging TO the American
Railway Association; ana the Commits
sion on Car Service. which ordered
freight cars TO the points where they
were most needed.
ana still they didn't solve that prob
lem OF putting three piuts into a quart
measure. Ii can't he done? of course
II cant. But something must be done
II there IS more freight than the rail-
roads can possibly move, some must 90
b. the board. must wait. And there
is a way OF solving the problem on that
line.
The Government. partly realizing the
situation. created a Priorities Board
and but Judge Robert 8. LoTett. who
had a very great reputetion as = RAT
road man. 1T its head. The idea was -
move first the freight which war needs
made most important. But in practice
nr;orit1 hasn't worked. Not yet II
hasn't kept you from being short Of
coal.
There was the famous-or notorious
-Bulletin 2a. Tile railroads issued that.
IT was intended TO give preference 70
army and navy orders and
il a freight car carried goods
needed for war purposes, it's Waybll was
to he nut Id q blue envelope. and every
car with a blue envelope on its sid was
to he rushed along nnead Of all other
cars. in theory that was fine In prec-
tice II was impossible. Too many poo
pie were allowed to use those blue en-
velopes. Why. every second lieutenant
in the Quartermaster's Department
could plaster = blue envelope on q car
navy had equal rights. shippers
say that their stuff was vital for
Nsr needs. aud get blue envelopes-shen
often all they wanted was TO make
delivery and get their money OF
course 4 lot of the freight affected was
important. But . lot wasn't-and when
everything was getting pref
nothing got preference You can
work that out easily.
You can blame those blue envelopes,
D0rtly at ieast. IN you are sitting in
window now looking in vain for
he appearance Of the coal man with
he quarter Of a ton Of coal he prom
sed you day before yesterday. They
the railroads, for all the eX-
intentions OF those who first
bought % them
Hoover and Garheld were Worrying
ibout your food and coal supply. They
vent at Judge Lovett hammer and