Putnam patriot., 1918-01-04

The United stntes produced in 1917 something like G75, 100000 tons of eool This K 10 per cent guih over 1916 ana 2j per cent gain over 1913.
 The coal shortage k problem of transportation
 There is always plenty of coai io0 times a- much Of il under these tinil ed States right now IN we aud our ancestors have dug out in the last loo ycars
 And there are coal mines enough 1000 mines md 100000 miners Even iu The unprecedented year of io16 the productive capacity of the mines was i0o,o00.O00 tons above the ne tual production. In 1913, good year. the $500 soft eoal mines of tbe counz tly worked only 203 full days instend of 400 and produced two=lhirds as much coal as they might have pro dueed
 The difficulty is To eet the coal to the right pluce Thc solution 0f this difficulty Is what the consumer IS prin eipully paving for when he buys his winter cod Half of hi eeal bin goes for railroad transportation and for t=...tt...- .I.,.s.,..ri ..tt,a. ..tr..,t.
 II is thc moving Of cool. not the mining of Il. that gives thr big new fuel administration offices most of their Werk To do.
 Distribution is the thtne The state administrators concern themselves ii rcetlY wlth nothing else. Production is l,1j for the Washington office 10 handle Rut the Washington office too. is mainly occupied with getting eoat from one point generally sid mg m railroad yard 10 another point suy the furnaces et hospt tul. or the muker> of il scout cruiser, or the eoat box of etpc of the hundred ueediest eases
 IT thp il and tlte needy Shaldd he made to suffer CT tlte scout cruiser should muke only 25 knots when 30 b1ots would mean uau h.es saved, of If anything goes wr'ng au1 where wiui teHhe plant or engine. a SUE gestfon k hkr1 te reach the fuet 3d mmisturuou tu II le something i'm mediaek and preferably to tbc afi roads
 There las heen 4ullltivit ruo1t's iun at railroHd terminals to tend some eoi ar to the frequent charges (h5g the rilroads are responsible Tor Inc paf shortaFe i'ut the re.a ,8use bt Jbe trouble gees beyond inc railroads
 Cur whole s1stem of gaW prpdu5 ton md distribution t~ nastrtut tt is uasteful for m>fmte. tnr l1e NJ hraska farmer te stiR coaI from Ae,st Nlrefnia in puecof huyine the smobuer and dusticr eoyd that Kansas produces
 cur national use of fuel Is eNtrava- gaut Ii Is wasteful. nei sa much If resources as ef mine labor aud esp,4 emlly of ion miles of transportation
 Eut the coal Industry is fundamen. ml Railroads and manufactures hN % shaped themselves to the existing state ef the industry To make any radical changes in the coal trade would he ta tbroV the whole machinery out of eear
 Hence thc fuel administration con cerns Itself uot with opening new ra;tHuels for the eoul trade. hut with ke,pn- old channels stretched wide ope in me@t cases when the results 4taataMs tpIl short of perfection II is t'te to-t tryto pin ihe hlaBle down te lhe fuci administration, or 10 the r,til. roats ar to auy aGttet single element iu he sit6ation
 Fh# tHe fne administration tx cop ing wlIh HV eeotl5u su,,t.SSflllIy ts shown h5 tHe~e f39lS That the navy and e's tfa7+F~ have bcen getting Ml .h. eaa 1tz reed mat oC the beSf uaiIN. hu h. auiduucuts and ma ffiaa re Gepl well Snp piled rlflrlasls tn th.s aHev5 Il5e #,zaef1 Eraa ucaa are ear- ryus m0 tls tast tn,Hc of tirir history