The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-05-07
in Pennsylvania

Oe NY sole pIOuuCI IS COaA: SodA
for which all America is clamoring,
and which all the world must have!
You know what coal is. Coal is the
source Of Energy. ~ -a
For the want of coal few weeks
40 more than a hundred ships loaded
with supplies for our armies and our
allies rode at anchor in New YORK
AArhor alone. Waiting for Coal!
A year ago I was producing 1900
tons of superior bituminous coal a
day. As fast as produced it, it was
loaded In cars and hauled away. a
great amount of it went to supply
energy for plants making munitions
Of war which, already have been
hurled against the Hun.
That was a year ago when America
was merely a spectator of the mael-
strom Over There. Today America
iasa belligerent. She is spending her
money and her, blood in the struggle
TO make the World Safe for Democ.
racy.
What am doing?
am producing less than half the
amount Of this vital commodity-coal,
that was producing last year! To
be exact, I am producing $50 tons Of
coal a day-some days.
And where is this coal going? All,
that ii . far different story! It is
stsnding here in my yards for days
and for weeks, waiting for power to
move It. Locked up in my chambers
there are ten million tons of bitumin.
Gus coal, sufficient to provide power
TO transport all the soldiers America
needs Over There. Sufficient, also,
70 provide power to operate many Of
tie large steel mills near me that are
running only part time or not at all,
for the lack of Coal. Workmen and
operators Of some Of these steel mills
are feeling the pinch. The work.
men's wages are part time wages; the
operators are falling behind in filing
orders.
NO CARS, NO COAL.
Millions suffer by my inability to
deliver the goods which I have in
such abundance and which would
20 freely give il it were in my power.
\ But I have been at the mercy ct
transportation conditions. And when
I needed the railroads most, they
were almost hopelessly crippled by
blizzard conditions unlike anything
they hsl faced in decades. There
Nero even times when men left my
works ct my request and went out
aud Sho1e!.d drifted snow from the
tracks. ths switches and the mouths
Of tuna,:s until trains could move
ls,A
I have been given "a car rating by
the rasie0aoS. Ju~I.o ~ v.J.lue cars
to take all my products away, the
railroads have told me should have
only 90 many cars a day and have
had to fix my production accordingly.
And after having fixed my car ratings
the railroads have not been able to
provide me with the cars that they
have said am entitled to.
They say am entitled to fifteen
cars day, and thereby my produc-
ton, formerly 1900 tons a day, is
cut to 1oO tons day.
Let me go back again into last
years records and make some COM
PARSONS. At the beginning Of last
year there were 200 men working in
my chambers. They worked steadily. :,
They made full time. They worked
eight hours a day and they produced
| 900 tons of coal day. Today there
are l49 men employed. During Janu.
Try those 149 men made an average
Df three and a half hours a day and
they produced just little less than
331 tons a day on the average.
:. Now you can begin to see what is
happening to make my men leave
ind seek other places to work. Let
ne show you some figures that talk.
Here's what happened in January,
1913: On January 2, I receive. eleven
cars; they we're loaded quickly ana
rolled down into the yard. On jan
nary. 81 got eight cars. In about half
. day they were loaded and rolled