Evening star., 1918-02-24
Bureau Advocates BacktoWood Movement to Conserve Goa

to nearly 100000 tons. or between
$1,000 and 10000 carloads
Tn North Carolina. quite q movement
toward the displacing of coal in favor
of wood has been developed. A Char
fotte, n. c, newspaper OF recent date
says that a goodiy number Of Army
trucks and wagons were kept busy the
day before hauling firewood. Numbers
of the enlisted men were out with
axes, telling trees and cutting II into
cordwood lengths. Almost every road
was trayersed by Army transport
wagons, loaded with wood and soldiers,
the latter seemingly enjoying the work.
It Is said that within two miles of any
Tennessee and eastern Arkansas
enough wood is wasted to furnish the
people fuel all winter. Wood-chopping
clubs are developing in these places.
"At Wilson. n. c.. the mayor OF the
city has obtained FIVE carloads of wood
to be sold at cost to those in need He
has made arrangements to get 500
cords of standing timber. Asheville
was practically without coal for sew
era1 days early in January, and the
municipal wood supply became SO short
that no one was allowed. so much as q
cord at one time. Municipal wocdpfles
promise to become common. We indorse
them heartily Christisna, Norway. has
a fine municipal woodpile. It was start
ed in the middle of the summer. I had
a letter in the fall from Norwegian
forester, who was then devoting his
entire time to gathering wood for win
ter use. Stockholm, Sweden, also has
such a provision-several small wood
piles, i think.
The cut-a-cord movement is beccrp-
ing popular throughout the entire
country. An effective poster in red and
black ink. headed cut a cord. is being
sent out since the New England wood
fuel conference, held under the auspices
of the New England fuel administra-
tor. One town in New Hampshire an
nounces that its chamber of conmerce
has appropriated $1,000 for buying
stumpage at q price not above sl.5e
cord. the wood to be sold at cost As a
result of the cooperation of forces in
New England. following forestry ad-
vices. the Boston and Maine railroad
and the New York. New Haven and
Hartford railroads have decided to stop
burning old ties. The latter company
has been destroying in this manner
nearly 100000 ties year. which. it is
said. is practically equivalent to $4,000
'Did you know that, according to
Prof. Robert Ellis Thompson. the man
who brought the first load of coal to
Philadelphia was treated as an I'M
poster? His black, unburnable stun was
seized and broken up. to cover the
walks at Fairmount. Another venture
some speculator, relying on the fact
that the blacksmiths. in what We now
know as the anthracite district, had
managed to use it, sold q canal boat
load to railma ker to the north OF the
city. His workmen handled il as they
would bituminous coal. poking ii about
and stirring it up. with no result that
they could find useful Later they
learned to give il a draft and let IL
alone. Bituminous coal was in use in
England long before that, coming to
London and adjacent places from the
north of England: hence the proverb
about carrying Goals to Newcastle
Acts of parliament were passed to stop
its use in London. because the smoke
poisoned the air.
For many years. of course, wood was
the only fuel used in this country. Only
within the last fifty years has coal
been extensively used The 'back-to-
the-wood' movement Is a wonderful
thing, for it holds thrift, health and the
averting of Industrial crises in war
times in its grasp. But l repeat let us
begin this thing for next year. the
coming summer. doing the best we can
meanwhile to help conserve coal the
remainder of this winter by laying
firm foundations for the future"