The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-06-01
WITH THE EDITORS .
COAL NOW OF COLD NEXT WINTER.


COAL NOW OF COLD NEXT WINTER.
No more important conventon-potenital at
least-was ever held in Chicago than that of the In
ternatonal Railway Fuel association, in session
1t is discussing the mining the hauling, the dis
tribution, and the conservation Of COAL 1t is held
under the joint auspices Of the United States rail
road and fuel administrations.
On the surface it seems to offer no matter Of
thrilling popular interest. Actually there IS mo
subject of more immediate, vital, and personal i'm
portance to every American citizen.
Last winter the whole country, Chicago with the
rest, got taste of what fuel famine means. It
doubtful if the average citizen realizes by what
narrow margin an actual and dreadful calamity was
averted.
There winter stherc&wss
not four hours fuel in this city between freezing
people to death and keeping them. warm. - 49,, 4.
The speaker is r. H.. Ashton, regional director
for the United States railroad administration and
former president Of the Chicago and Northwestern
company Mr. Ashton is not an alarmist. AS d.
lrector Of all the great coal shipping railroads Of
the middle west he il in a. position to know the
facts. & sa
Unless the coal operators and miners, the rail-
roads, the dealers, and the consumers cooperate
fully, unless every possible agency concerned with
local exerts itself to the utmost during the next five
months tie partial Sfuel famine last winter will
become acatsa4A devastating next winter.
"Unless made, - says Mr. Ashton,
the situation is going to be much worse next VIM
ter than it was last winter, worse than anything
ever known in the United States
All the authorities agree in sounding this note
of warning. Unless coal bins are filled now, unless
vast supplies of coal stored this summer moth
ing can be more certain than that industry will be
idle next winter and that people will freeze.
If the coal miners worked full time during the
next six months there would be no trouble. There
is coal enough in the ground to supply a hundred
times all possible demands The trouble is that
miners have not worked more than three-fourths
of the time in any single week since the first Of the
year. At any rate the production of coal has varied
from only g. per cent to barely o. per cent of full
time capacity. In other words, the coal mines of
the country have not worked more than four and
one.haf days in any week since Jan. l.
That is not the fault Of the miners. Coal cannot
be practically dug unless there are empty coal cars
ready to receive it as it comes from the breaker.
And the coal mines have been shut down for from
one-ninth to one-fourth of the time each week be-
cause the United States railroad administration has
failed to furnish these empty cars.
If the railroad administration will furnish larger
supply Of empty coal cars to the mines it will do
more than any other possible agency to avert fuel
famine next winter.
When coal cars are missing the mines are shut
down. the miners are laid off, To miss one or two
days pay per week is serious matter to almost
all of the 100000 coal miners. Many of them seek
regular employment (which is plentiful-in other
industries That has resulted in labor shortage,
which in one district has resulted in cutting down
coal production by Is per cent
All the coal available for us next winter in Him
from the Illinois and Indiana fields And in these
particular fields the production is smaller than
in the country as whole. In other words, the
fuel situation is worse locally than almost anywhere
else
There is just one thing that the individual con-
sumner can do to improve it. He should instantly
order all the coal that he expects to need next
winter He should ask that it be delivered at once
He should accept coal from central and northern
Illinois and he should pay the price demanded. If
impure coal is delivered, if an price is ex-
acted he will be protected by the state fuel admins
isration from loss III
The first necessity is for instant actiyty.-Chicago
Tribune