The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-17
Fuel Order Means Tremendous
Loss to Working Men.
$95, 100000 Estimated Cut in
Wages in n. Y. State.
100000 IDLE IN CHICAGO
Detroit Men Forced To Quit
Would Lose S4,6OO,0OO.
Illinois Manufacturers Regret
but Stand by Order.

the state of New Ork IN unpaid wages
for the five day period and the Mon
day holidays during which industries
must be closed down, it was estimated
here today.
Fuel Administrator Garfield's order
for the conservation of coal means
condition approaching starvation TO
New York's poorer classes for the time
being it was declared. Workers on the
lower east side and in other poverty
stricken districts of the city live vir-
tualIy from hand to mouth
Harshiy Criticize the Order.
State, county and city fuel admins
traitors in New York were aStounded
nv the order. Its scope is far wider
and its action much more drastic than
ANYTHING that had been discussed with
a view toward relieving New Yorks
fuel shortage.
Harsh criticism was directed againsl
the fuel administration in some quar-
tiers.
E. H. Outerbridge, president OF the
New York Chamber of Commerce de-
c!ared the order was giving AID anu
comfort to the enemy.
This order gives greater d1snay TO
our allies than any step the Washing
ton authorities could give, ne salu.-
Chicago. Jan IA million and a
half men and women in Illinois Will be
affected by Fuel Administrator Car
fields "workless Monday. orden au-
age wage of SO a day, this Will mean
loss of income amounting to s4,oeo,-
900 a day.
More than 100000 workers are af-
fected in Chicago alone More than
half of these are employed in the man
ufa cturing industries which will be
closed for the next five days.
Illinois Already Had Plan.
Illinois already had planned a vol
| untary curp on fuel consumption when
the drastic order was issued from
Washington late yesterday.
The stock yards packing plants,
with their 10000 employees will be ex-
empted from the order, it was believed
| today. They have adequate coal sup
plies and their output is vital to the
conduct of the war. The recent shut
down was due to inability to move coal
within the yards, because of the heavy
| snowfall.
Three thousand industries down
state will be forced to close on Mon
days, it was estimated. These include
many munitions works.
! Big business men here took widely
variant views on the order. Some
| thought it too drastic, while others
believed i. was vitality necessary.
Joseph p, Griffin. former president
of the board of trade: THE board of
trade should not be affected by the
order, its business is handling food
and feed supplies. The order should
increase the, supply of cars for the
movement of grains and feed and en-
| large it materially"
Coal Output Increased in 1917.
Arthur L. Hull, editor of the Retail
Coalman-'It is simply the result of
transportation congestion. Coal pro-
duction increased fifty million tons in
1917 over the previous year. Four
teen per cent was in anthracite. The
demand for coal for more than a wear
he lev 1a III
railroads cannot be charged with fail
ing to do all they can, but they are
crowded beyond capacity"
Poor Will Suffer Terribly.
Lieut.. Col, Emil nMarcussen of the
Salvation ArmyIThe government
should have given at least a~week'S
notice. The poor will suffer terribly
and we will be powerless to help them
unless a huge fund is subscribed for
| the work.
Order Not Necessary.
| Cleveland, o., Jan. 17-Big coal
| mine operators, whose headquarters
| are in Cleveland, today almost unan-
| imously declared Coal Dictator Gar
fields order shutting down all indus
! tries for five days unnecessary.
! If 1000 coal mines that l could
name in West Virginia, western Penn
| sylvania and Ohio had been given a
| 100 per cent car 50 Apply for two weeks
| these mines would have turned out
| 100000 tons of coal,'' said A. W.
| Dean, chairman of the Cleveland coal
| pool committee. At present he said
| they are turning out only six or seven
| million tons. Appeal to Washington
| to rush cars to mines was made today
| by coal operators.
IF we can get o per cent car service
at the mines-or even so per cent
we can quickly clear up the coal situa-
ton with no necessity for shut
fclrN ho tor c.ai6
| 1t was impossible to figure today
| how many persons in Ohio will be
| thrown out of work. Cleveland will
| be the hardest hit. where 100000
| workers, many thousands employed
making munitions, will be forced into
| idleness.
Cincinnati is next where 10000 Will
temporarily give. up their jobs.
| Loss in wages will run into many
| millions of dollars. In Cleveland alone
the daily wage loss Will be between sl,-
| 100000 and s1,30O.0O0.
| 400, 1000 Men Out at Youngstown.
| Youngstown, D, Jan. 17.-Forty
| thousand men in Youngstown Steel
| plants. mostly working on war orders
are affected by Fuel Dictator Gar
| fields shut down order The daily
payroll of the men is $3.50, 900.
Cost Detroit Men S4.6O0,OOO.
| Detroit. Mich. Jan. 17.-Fuel Adj
ninistrator Garfield's five day factory
closing order will affect 230, 900 work
| men in Detroit, costing them $4,000
| 900 in wages. according to an estimate
J of William Stocking. statistician of
the board of commerce. The loss in
wages thru the closing down of plants
on ten succeeding Mondays will
amount to $4,000.
| About $4,000 Ford employees will
llose about $4,000 per day. This
| morning it had not been decided
whether the Ford company would pay
workers while idle. but it probably
will not do SO.
Cost St. Louis 100000 Day.
| ST. Louis. Mo-, Jan. 17.-Sever4ty-
five Thousand workmen earning to-
| tai of 100000 day will be idle on
St Louis east side when Fuel Admin