The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-02-14
Full Exposition Of Governments
Conduct Of This
Work.
WORK we'll ORGANIZED
Value Of commission's Labors Wsll
Enthusiastically on Lakes
Avsrtsd Serious Famine In
Northwest.

Il IL probable that this condition Win
continue at least 50 lonx q ooM
weather persists. The first pinch o.
the war was felt In the winter C
1851, whom the local demand fOf
scIl exceeded the supply, ana there
resulted hardship and Industrial dlf.
,culties. With this shortage went
rapidly mounting prices. The situar
ton became 50 acute that In June
1917, Congress adopted . resolution
asking the Federal Commission TO ii.
vestigate the anthracite coal situa
ton. The Trade Commission real.
ICED that the anthracite coal problem
could not be considered apart from
that Of bituminous coal, for the rsas-
on that under conditions OF increased
demand one must take tho place Of
the other to . considerable extent n
industry.
The estimate Of the amount Of coal
which was needed during the year
ending June 50, 1917, AZ compared with
the previous year, indicating IN In.
crease Of only about 10 per cent. Not
w~ithstanding. the prices Of coal, when
It came timo.to make contracts In the
early summer Of 1917, had increased
for large consumers 100 to $50 per
cent and for small consumers by 200
to 400 per cent.
After a thorough investigation, the
Federal Trade Commission juno IS
made the following recommendation:
"First, that the production and dis.
tribution Of coal and coke be conduct,
nd through = pool in the hands Of q
ovsrnnen3 agsaa0t NAae. ~ DFs01o
~ az tie various Uades q fuel -
paid their full cost Of production, plus
q uniform profit per ton.
Second, that the transportation
agencies Of the United States, both
rail and water, be similarly pooled and
operated on Government Rceount, un
der direction of the President, and
that all such means Of transportation
be operated as . unit, the owning cor
poratdon being paid . just. and fair
compensation which would nor.
NAL net profit, upkssp and better.
Ments."
Following this report, tho coal situa
ton became more and moro acute, and
finally = bill giving the President
authority to exercise drastic powers
became . law August 10. 1917. On
August 20, Robert 8. Lovstt was made
general agent under the Priority Ship.
ment Act and given full authority to
require the roads o. the country con
cerned In the transportation of coal
TO give coal priority IN transports
ton. By executive orders, the Prssi.
dent, upon the basis Of Information
furnished him by the Federal Trade
Commission temporarily fixed a scale
of prices for bituminous and anthra,
cite coal.
The President did not take advan.
tage of an authority in the law to place
the control Of coal under the Federal
Trade Commission, but decided to ap.
point q fuel commissioner. Or. Harry
A. Garfield, was appointed to this Of
fee August 20, 1917.
VITA this appointment began the
work OF the fuel administration
which nov extends to every state and
district and county and city Ia the
United States. What that commits
sion has accomplished 10 we'll known
here in the northwest, which but for
priority shipments Of coal via the
great lakes during the season Of nav.
igation would pay millions more for
it's fuel, II it wsr possible to obtain
eastern Goals at any price. Fuel ad-
illustrators in every state were
named September Is, and each fed.
eral fuel administrator appointed for
his state IN advisory committee and
certain local committees, which are
tho ultimate finger tips ef the fuel
administration, authorized on approval
of the state administrator to investi-
gate and remedy cases Of hardship Or
unequity, subject to reversal or ~.
peal to the United States Fuel Ad-
ministrator. They also are 70 keep
TIE state administration informed %
to local conditions and needs and to
lend assistance n providing relief.
TIE most important duty q TIC
stats fuel administrators b 70. zee
that thu supply Of fuel In THAR states
II squitably distributed ct Air prices.
Il 10 the intention Of the United 8tatss
fuel administrator to 80 that tAs
state adxninistrators IN provided with
tho necessary authority 70 divert fasl
in transit when necessity arises. This
authority aiready has been conferred
On state Fuel Administrators !. P.
Baker and on similar officials IN other
states. Tho state administrators MAJ
requiro, 81 has been done In Nortl.
DakotA, dealers To deliver only = limi;
ted supply TO 41y one customer, and
to require customers to rive infor.
nation concerning their supply on
hand. and their reQuiroments.r They
may taks measures to prevent hoard
ing. IA gensral Il - desired that 4
removable control - exercised BY
|. eon0deaoo an. agreement 81 sntsrc'
"a b0sps1he oyiaisa, ~ this = the
pim whloh - 80 1ellewsA 81
~ ope1A NA1ron ~ insAa1M