The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-26

the order.
I Saving fuel is the essence Of the
weekly closing order of the state
| fuel administration. This is the in
! terpretation Of the Keokuk fuel COM
mission on this state order, and any
thing that individuals or business
heads can do to save coal, will be
considered a strict observance of the
law This is not an order to shorten
labor hours, but to save coal, is the
way the local commission looks at
the matter.
The whole meat of the order is
the conservation of COAL" Chairman
Nagel said this morning.
There Is another equally important
part of this regulation. quite as vital
as the saving of coal-it is keeping
all competitive business on equal
| terms.
Thus, a certain store may be able
to keep open without using a pound
of coal, but it must be closed be-
cause other stores in the same line
are closed to save coal. If merchants
will remember and recognize this
other important fact, it will answer
many of the questions that are con-
stanuy being asked.
When the order says a store must
| be closed, it must be closed and
argument or a showing Of facts that
no coal was saved by it's opening will
not be a defense. if the store is in
the closed classification.
Not to Manufacturers.
The order does not apply to jobber
and manufacturers. Neither does it
apply to the offices of professional
men. There are lots of hypothetical
+, instances that can be imagined, but
| to each and every one of these, the
fuel commission says to apply this
test:
IF save fuel by closing one day,
then l should close"
Enough fire is allowed in the plants
to preserve them from injury through
freezing OF by fire, but that Is all
the fire that can be allowed the
stores and buildings which come
under the Monday and Tuesday acts.
Retail Stores Close.
Under the Interpretation put on
the order by the local fuel commits
sion, retail stores will close all day
Monday. Grocery stores and butcher
shops and stores handling chicken
feed, bran and horse feed can be
allowed heat until noon, and conse-
quently will close then. Drug stores
and those which dispense doctors
supplies and medical supplies will be
allowed to remain open all day.
Bowling alleys and billiard halls
will close Tuesdays, along with the
theatres and movie houses. Repre-
sentatives of the two in Keokuk
called on the commission this morn
ing, and asked for change in the
day for closing. They are very will
ing to close, but would like to be
classed along with the amusement
places. The commission will grant
the request pending a ruling from
DeS Moines on the subject
Clubs on Tuesdays.
Clubs are voluntarily putting them
selves into the closing order by max
buildings. The Keokuk club has
adopted Tuesday as heatless day,
along with the Elks. The fuel COM
mission hopes that other clubs will
make the idea uniform, and will !
make Tuesday as the general day for |
closing.
The short hours order is expected
to be received here today. So far, |
the commission has only the press !
reports to go on. AS soon as this |
order is received the commission |
will go over the new restrictions, |
paragraph by paragraph, as they |
have done with this weekly order, !
and try to solve every problem pre-. |
sented to them.
The cigar stores are sending a
petition to Commissioner Nagel ask
ing that they be permitted to keep
open every day from nine in the
morning to nine at night, and that
their closing day be changed to |
Tuesday, rather than Monday.