The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-01-18
Omitted Press Leased wire.)

| WASHINGTON, ID. C., Jan. Is.
American industry today began
sacrifice of millions that the ma
tional railroad may release scores
of supply ships lying helpless in
our harbors.
Thru an order issued by Fuel
Administrators Garfield, effective
at midnight, business and labor
started a fiye-days' period OF idle
ness east of the Mississippi that
coal for the ships may have the
right-of-way, On nine Mondays
thereafter similar shutdown or
ders will be in effect
Asks Cheerful Compliance
A statement by Garfield defend
ing his action in the face of over
whelming senate vote TO hold up
the order for five days, declared
it was necessary to clear longest
ed piers, fill empty steamer bunk
ers and avoid further congestion
which might delay shipment of
supplies to France.
Garfield himself accepts full re-
sponsibility for the order which
stunned the nation.
To modify, IL possible, some of
the hardships II imposes, he has
asked the Industrial kings to bear
the loss eheerfully and see that the
burden does not fall on the work
Iingman, thru loss of wages on idle
days.
Many Exemptions.
Sweeping notifications of the
industrial suspension order were
made today
Many exemptions of industries
affected under the order were IS
sued, including % steel plants and
various forms of business. The
latter included:
Grain elevators, potato or vege-
table houses, cold storage, all
forms of grain storage, grain and
food mills, cereal product manu-
features, bakers, Gamers, milk
dealers, creameries, condensaries
and all other milk product manu-
factories, packing and slaughter
houses, ice plants and refrigera-
tors, Wholesale commission and re-
tail trades, sugar manufacturers
and every sort of food handling,
manufacturing or distributing
agency
In addition to the food industry,
Garfield also excepted binding
Irvine manufactures, ammonia
manufactures, insecticides and fer
tilizer manufactures.
State food administrators are
authorized to determine what 9TH
err industries are essential to the
uninterrupted flow of food.
Might Be Widened
| Millions of such wages and
greater millions in production are
involved in the industrial suspen-
sions. Answering complaint on
this score. Garfield declared:
There are thousands in Europe
and more still to go there, who
will lose more than wages or in
come"
Today opened up with another
avalanche of protests from many
parts of the country on the Gar.
field order. Demands that Its
period of effectiveness be curtail.
ed were made to the president
and congress.
Signs Order First
| Congress was indignant at Gar
fields ignoring the senate request
to hold up the order. Already the
spirit is abroad in the capitol tc
|see that no further laws are pass
ed that may permit precipitation
of such sweeping regulations up.
on the country without congress
sional sanction.
| But in many quarters there Is
depression of belief that had Gar
field originally issued the state
lment he made last night instead
of announcing what he intended
to do before he himself knew ex-
aetly its scope, there would have
been less confusion and resultant
protest.
Garfield signed his order about
l5:4O o'clock yesterday, 1t was Of
ificially stated today. This was a
flew minutes before the senate
passed its resolution asking him
to postpone five days the date OF
the order going into effect.
Orders Go Out Promptly
| II was stated at the fuel admin
istration that instructions tosstate
fuel administrator we're on their
way an hour before the senate's
action was officially brought te
Garfield's attention. -
| But the lateness of the order
land the, general confusion thru
out yesterday left hundreds of in
dustries uncertain whether they
Ishould open today.
/ As a result, thousands Of work
ers In the eastern half Of thu