The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1918-06-07
COAL SHORTAGE
LOOMS LARGE
More Serious Next Winter Than Ever
Dreamed of Says State Administra-
tor: 75.oOO,o Tons Short.


State Fuel Administrator w. +.
MYERS, who recently returned from a
meeting of the leaders of the national
fuel administration and national rail-
way commission, together with repre-
sentatives of mine operators and min
.ers. held in Chicago, addressed the Ten
nessee Bankers association, now iii
session at Signal mountain, Wednes-
day afternoon of last week on the gray
ity Of the conservation of fuel "The
problem" stated Mr. Myer, SIS far gra-
yer than had any idea of, and ]
learned that the situation is really
very acute. The fuel outlook today is
praver than at any time since the be-
Ginning of the war The various fuel
administrators have taken a census OF
the fuel needs for the coming year,
and it shows the increased demands
arising from the various munition
plants, ship building operations and
other great industries which are being
turned into war work, together with
the increased demands from the rail-
roads to move this traffic, will require
not less than 100000 tons or more
coal for the year 1918 than for 1917.
The 100000 tons of coal would
form a solid train, Mr.. Myer stated,
from New York to Vancouver, from
Vancouver across the entire North Pa
cifc to Vladivostok, from VladivostoS
tc Petrograd, from Petrograd to
Berlin, from Berlin to Paris, from
Paris to London, fronfLondon to Liver
pool, and from Liverpool across the
Atlantic to New York. Continuing Mr..
Myer said;
''Please bear in mind that the coal
to fill this train of cars reaching
around the globe must be dug from our
mines, in addition to what they dug
last year. And last year every nerve
was strained and every pick digging
before the war our ordinary out
nut of bituminous coal was about
l00,000,000 tons yearly. Last year, by
using every possible energy, the out
put was increased to 550,000,OO0 tons.
"During the year 1918, we must
have not less than 625,OOO,OOO tons, or
disaster will result. The making up
of this seemingly impossible quantity
of rs 100000 tons is matter OF sterA
necessity. 1t means life or death to
us as nation. The fate of the strug-
gle in Europe hangs on the United
States, and our ability to help depends
on COAL
an order to make up this great
shortage we must at once begin tc
save coal in every possible way. Oui
homes must heat fewer rooms, oll
industries must use every possible
means to economic in fuel; we must
burn wood wherever it is humanity pos
sible to do so; the railroads must bullc
every coal car possible. Our miners
must and will dig every ton of Goa
the railroads can furnish cars to haul
"Many people think this problem is
easily solved. They say why not cut
off all the unnecessary industries?
That is what many of. us thought u
the beginning Of last winter, but wher
We began looking around for unneces
sary industries we found there wer'
few industries that were unnecessary
We soon saw that,we could not use th'
word unnecessary and therefore adop
ted the expressions war industries ant
noA-waT Industries.
ain the unnecessary or nonwar IN
dustries we found more than S20,000,
900 invested. These nonwar, or so
called unnecessary industries emplo!
10.000,0 600 men. in other words, 5O,
eoO,000people were dependent on then
for life, health and happiness, To haV'
closed them down would have brough
financial panic and ruin.
MANY we'll intentioned people in Ten
nessee brought pressure to bear upo1
me as state fuel administrator to clos
our candy factories. 1t was elaine
that candy was luxury and not a
essential, and that the manufactur
of candy took enormous quantities 0
sugar, which at all times was urgent
ly needed by our allies. found tn
following to be the situations;
THAT our candy factories mani
facture largely low grade candies, whic
contain very little sugar, glucose Q
corn syrup being the base, and tn
the closing of them would release yer
little sugar.
2-I also found that a large major
ity Of the employees were girls. Thes
girls were from the poorer classes
without. enough education to enabl
them to find employment in other line
then open.
The closing of these factorie
mean that these women would b
thrown on the merciless charities
the world in the dead of winter and
lime of war
ITO make a long story short, I'll
closing of these candy factories meal
the moral ruin of hundreds of GOO
girls. felt that before God and ms
/ owed a debt to the wonanhood