The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-07
Other Men s Views
An Editorial That May or May Not Square
With The Views Of The Forum
,he Chrlstlan Science Monitor:

The Christian Science Monitor:
The railroads were blamed last year. and in
many cases Justly, for failing to supply trucks
In sufficient number to transport and distribute
the output of coal. The railroads excused them
selves by claiming that they did not have the
means whereby to repair their old and disabled
rolling stock, thereby throwing the blame upon
the interstate commerce commission which
FUSED to permit them to enlarge their revenues
by increasing freight charges There was not, in
any general sense, ground for the claim of the
ruel administration that the fault for the coal
shortage OF last winter lay wholly with the rail-
roads, any more than there was, in any general
sense, ground for the claim Of the railroads that
they could not furnish trucks because Of INSULT
clent means to keep up their equipment Both
were simply trying to conceal from the public
the truth, which was this, that Incompetence in
the fuel administration, not car shortage pre-
vented proper distribution of the coal actually
mined, and that an attempt of the railroads to
force the granting Of higher rates by the inter-
state commerce commission, not lack Of means,
was accountable for the failure of the transport
tions.
If the fuel commission had seized upon it's
opportunity and had handled the situation, cour
ageously and intelligently would coal have been
either so scarce high in the winter of
19l7-1S? Time and again cars in great num-
ber suitable for the moving of COAL were seen
lying idle on sidings and in yards throughout the
country. Meanwhile, apparently nobody who was
willing to pay, or able to pay exorbtant prices
for coal was denied it. Coal supplied only
in short lots to consumers but it was Supplied on
the terms Of the coal operators. When the WIN
ter was over 1t was found that there had been a
surplus of coal produced yet the public had been
coal famine.
There is as little excuse for a shortage in the
coal supply as there is for the prices charged
this year. The railroads are in the hands of the
government with unlimited means behind them
for the improvement of their coal carrying
equipment: Thousands Of old cars have been
repaired and returned to commission; thousands
Of new cars have been purchased. The coal
operators, on their own confession say THAI there
will be no difficulty on the score Of output, if
the government will do certain things, easily in
It's power to do. The most urgent and important
or these things is the cutting off Of the supply of
liquor at the mines. Speaking for the miners
tonal union, says that only lack of cars threat
ems a coal shortage this year. There is coal
famine pending in America" he is quoted as say
ing, and it surely will unless the miners
get sufficient cars to load the coal which can be
mined" I'VE willing" he adds, ito work
six days week and eight hours every day to
flood the market with coal. If a coal famine,
does occur, no blame can be placed on the min
ers'.
The reader should note particularly the asser-
ton that if the miners are backed by car service
they can flood the market with COAL" Flooding
the market with coal would mean more than as
surfing the public Of a supply-it would mean
upon coal consumers Will the operators permit
the coal market to be foodedA They never have
done so in the past, when it has been possible
for them to prevent it.
But there is this to be considered: The United
States is now in control Of labor in control Of
the railroads, in control Of coal mining and dis
tributon; if there is failure this year to pro-
duce coal. to prevent coal profiteering, and to
secure to the coal consumer a square deal in
prices the fault cannot be shirked by those re-
sponsible for the administration of the United
States government.