The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-31
COAL PRODUCTION

(eSpd 1sll4 ,uoLJ penunuo0)
made no provision at all for the do
NESTLE and industrial needs fer Flr-
e4nja.
THE necessary consumption Of VIZ
c+n!a. exclusive of the Du Pont Fow-
fsr company and the railroads Is 3.oqo.~
oe0 tons annually.
I'm addition YOU have by recent er-
der reduced Virginia supply Of anthra-
CITE coal 60 per cent less than ship
wcnts Of last wear, in order TO give
New England communities an add;-
ianaI supply. virginia Is, therefore.
the hardest hit state in the union de-
spite the great war activities within
her border and her proximity 10 The
mines.
These facts have repeatedly i'm
messed up0n Your assistants. bat 90
far no relief has been given Ii has
teen suggested to furnish our domestic
supply after water movement to New
England and through the Great Lakes
is closed To dump on Virginia an en-
Tire years supply Of coal turing the
winter months VIII result in great DIS"
fress and suffering as II would tie
! physically Impossible for the retailers
to distribute this GOA tn the cousunl-
crs. Unless regular snd orderly ship
nents are received for domestic pur-
poses the retailers cannot tEainta in
! their expensive organizations and
when coal is received IT cannot he ham
/ died
nne-third supply.
The almost desrerste situation IN
4 Virginia can he further realized when
/ state that In April Of this year this
! state has only received one-third az
much coal for domestic cor sumption
as II received April 1917.
1T fz-
tributior established by your bureau
YOU have recently promulgated an or
der requiring the operators 10 make
{ 100 per cent shipment on al orders
received from preferred industries
without limiting the amount such in
dUstrfes are permitted TO store.
The necessary result of this orde'
il that such preferred Industries vii
store all the coal they can get ant
the temptation TO do this is tho greater
owing 10 the impending increase tr
freight rates.
/ This is a time for sacrifice and tn
endurance Of burdens, bat the saerl
fees should he IN common and the bur
dc1s should be equally imposed Nir
! Einja will uncop piainingly bear he
part but there is no Just reason WIN
she should he sacrificed for the hene
~ OF other communities
The suggestion that some Of he
!Ieatest industries must shut dow
Lecause she r. given less than her fat
proportion of the common stock of fue
is appalling suppose her great to
racco factories are shut down as !
thre. tened IMAGINE the far-rt achint
effects. Millions Of internal revenu
taxes VIII be lost Thousands OF opera
tors especially young women nn
skilled for other work. wifi be throw
out of employment The financial in
terests 81 the state win receive
shock. Thousands Of farmers VIII
: have planted tobacco VIII find no mar
, ket for their crops and disaster will
reach out in many unexpected direc
! lions.
Issued order.
still further 10 shut the door 0
! rope on the domestic consumer. afte
. hxtng the price of coal, At hgur
which after elaboration you regarde
as fair. you Issued an order that an
| generator selling for export to coun
tries other than Canada and Mexic
should have $135 per ton additiona
The consequence of this ord g was
tempt every operator II get adTantag
Of this Si35 excess protit and wher
ships could be had coal was exported
{ cuba. for instance. a hot country. un
der the stimulus OF this premium o
expectation accumulated more coal pc
capita than the people Of the Unite
States
You Will pardon me for speakin
thus frankly, but / think you shout
know the exact situation in Virgins
Disaster threatens us and We ca
only escape II by an increase OF pro
/, duction.
Shall the American people wit
. { their incompatible resources of coz
: men ana railroads admit that they can
y not mine enough coal to operate thei
> industries and warm their homes? TIL
, peril ie 50 great that radical measure
a., are justified II man power cannot b
y / obtained in any other way. =, shout
be conscripted.
IF coal cars are needed, they shout
be furnished. If the mine operators d
, not cooperate take over their mlne'
: But the coal must be dug and distri
. bGted-"
Very truly,
(Signed) II. r, BYRD,
Federal Fuel Administrator 10
Virginia. 49,
2 May 40. 1918