St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1918-01-02
GOV. GRAHAM PESSIMISTIC
inks Coal Will BE Harder to Get
as Winter Progresses.

After returning from n fuel con-
'Eence in Washington, Gov. Graham
Vermont does not have much faith
t the fuel situation Will improve
winter advances, and he seems
rful that both hard and soft coal
& be more difficult to obtain in
huary and February than at pres
After a two hours conference with
n Garfield, the promise was made
ut the administrator would use
Berry effort to relieve the soft coal
9ortage; but as labor is as scarce at
lie mines as elsewhere. and as most
Il the coal roads are congested with
sRernment traffic, and as the tow
3 facilities from Newport News to
Nv England points have been less
led by the taking over of certain
going tugs by the navy depart
mt, the prospect does not appear
eouraging to GOV. Graham; and he
inks that it is a case where "the
6h is father to the thought" The
Nbply OF hard coal, especially that
81 domestic use, cannot be improv-
a because New England is now get
her fun share of hard coal.
More coal is being mined than ever
fore and more carried by the rail-
8ads to tidewater and all rail points.
BIT the large increase in the con-
Amption of coal by manufactures
Aickly absorbs the increased output.
81 is purely a case of the supply not
ing equal to the demand.
81 Apparently, in most cases" said
h governor, at will be hand-to-
puth situation that cannot in every
tance be relieved. More coal will
he to be mined. This calls for
sre labor, which cannot be had,
re coal cars and more motive
aver for the railroads, and greater
&ge towage AS the railroads are
mated, even if they had the money
Itch they have not, it would take
he to procure the power and the
srs. and, while certain boats are be-
"a brought from the Great Lakes to
Zip relieve the towage situation,
sese boats may become necessary to
&c government for other uses at al
Ehich have been constructed in this
#untry for the allies are in many
sses still here, but they are not
zkapted to, and so cannot be used TO
Vantage on our roads. It was hop
& that the elimination of cross haul
n, whereby eastern coal Went west
"a western coal came east of the
a. =
IN; but this seems to be rather 4
pp-in-the bucket solution"
while Gov. Graham did not find all
different officials in accord, he
se the impression that they are all
ing to do their best and that what
ssneeded most is Capitalization OF
thority and a Bringing together
Nder one head of the mining and
transportation of fuel. In other
BIRDS. there is too much passing
@ buck" while the people freeze
The governor said: wherever
Sssible to obtain wood, the people
ouId use it; and it may become
cessary for the man who can use
axe to do so. The man who can
u use an axe can at least pull {
W. and the two can put up a wood
lie. In the same way as we har
st our fields. we must also harves
2 r woodiots. If the jewellers in TIL
WINS would join forces andFp III
: bodpiles. someone with a machin,
uld readily he found to saw tn
pod; and the farmer on whose lan'
is cut, would be glad to skid o
rd the logs and haul the wood t
Village. after it is sawed and tn
opie who cut it down could thei