The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-18
Few Exceptions to Order.

? Few Exceptions TO Order. ..
By its provisions manufacturing
plants east Of the Mississippi and I'm
Louisiana and Minnesota, with rare
exceptions, will be closed for five
days beginning today and virtually
all business activity will be stopped
on every Monday for a period OF ten
weeks beginning Jan. q.
Through its application the fuel
administration expects coal to move
TO essential consumers including rail-
roads, householders, public utilities
and shipping interests, and producers
OF food, in whose behalf the order Is
issued ~.
A supplementary Inst of exemp-
tfons isl ned last night embraces
various Industries engaged in inn
peratiVe war work. Ship yards work
ing on navy construction. plants
ming contracts for army and navy
wooden uniforms, tent manufacturers
and manufacturers of other products
deemed necessary for immediate use
Of the military forces were named.
In the original order newspapers
were unaffected by the five day
closing but limited to holiday edi-
tions on heatless Mondays. Indica-
tion was given also that plants re-
quirtng heat to maintain themselves
would be permitted to burn coal for
this purpose but would not be per-
mitted to operate. This was inter-
preted by many as applying to blast
furnaces.
The fuel administrator justified his
action in a lengthy statement last
night in which he said he was
prompted by the necessity for fur
nishing the American army and allies
with food and supplies.
The country, he said, had reached
a point Of overproduction as far as
distribution was concerned and
manufacturing plants could well af-
ford to remain idle for a short time
until transportation, both rail and
water, could catch up.
Terminals Congested.
In replying to insistent questions
as to why plants already supplied
with coal should be shut down, DR..
Garfield declared railroad terminals
were filed with loaded cars ana un-
less production ceased temporarily
cars would continue to be loaded.
Coal operators under contract to
supply industries win not be shut
down.
Food Industries without exception
viii be permitted to operate on full
time.
1T is my understanding" said
Food Administrator Hoover, ''that
the order does not include grain
elevators, grain mills. bakeries, stock
yards, meat packing establishments,
cold storage plants, sugar factories
or any other form of the food indus
try"
In special orders issued by the fuel
administration last night, concerns
packing beans, canning milk and
wna STING nnfFan for ssawvnvaFs yvsa4sA saase.z
tract also are exempted. Manufac-
tursrs OF optical glass are allowed to
operate on government orders.
Strenuous efforts are promised TO
have wood, oil. natural gas and water
power users exempted.
Chicago Ia Idle.
Chicago, Jan. 1s.-More than q
billion dollars in capital and some
100000 workers are idle in this city
today as q result of the national fuel
administrators Curtailment order,
according to figures compiled by
reports.
The estimated loss i'm wages by
workers in the district during The
enforced fdIeness for the I'VE day
period and the nine successive Mon~
days is s17.000,000,
Business men and manufacturers
today had apparently decided to OBJ
serve the spirit as well as the letter
OF the order. following futile efforts
OF yesterday to secure a modification
OF the edict. The opinion Of fuel
officials ig that the order Is too severe
under the conditions existing IN this
state.
Some Of the business men and
manufacturers cited late figures
showing that 900 carloads o4 coal
had been brought into Chicago dur
ing the twenty-four hours preceding
fContinued on &c s.l