Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-27

COAL SITUATION
IS EMPHASIZED
E. M. Truax Says it is no
Z Joke to be Facing Fuel
Shortage.

The seriousness of the coal situation
was once more emphasized today by
e. M. Traux, manager of the Truax
Coal company, Noonan. N. D., who
was in the city comforting with R. B.
Griffith. fuel administrator for the
Grand Forks district. Mr.. Truax said
that while there is a popular tendency
to make light Of the threatening
shortage, it is no joke, and that peo-
necessity Of ordering their winter sup
ply right away.
Mr.. Truax who is connected with
one Of the large Ignite concerns in
the western part Of the state, is thor
oughly familiar with the situation in
that particular field, and predicts that
only Is per cent Of last years Ignite
output will be produced this year.
This decrease is largely due to
shortage of labor which is, in some In
stances.
"There is, however, another rea-
son." Mr.. Truax added, land that
is equally significant: We cannot
produce, coal without having orders on
hand mean, the Ignite people have
no facilities for storage on a vast
scale, and for this a cannot go
ahead and produce coal without hav-
ing an indication Of the demand'tha
will be made for it. Many mines are
running only four days a week-sim-
ply because there are not enough Or
ders on hand. =
Coal from East Scarce.
There is a very distinct shortage of
coal from the east, it was said again
today, and there are no facts at hand
0hich tend to show hat the situation
with regard to coal from the Great
Lakes will improve materially during
the late summer and the early fall
likely that the situation will grow
worse because of the increased de-
mands made upon the rolling stock OF
the railroads and also because 81
weather conditions and their influence
upon the traffic conditions.
"Orders for coal should be filed
right now" Mr.. Truax said today. III
people wait many more days, 1t may
be too late-in fact 1t looks as though
1t will be too late, and then there will
be no remedy in sight. 1t cannot be
too strongly brought out that quick
ordering Of fuel is a vital necessity
Other men, conversant with the his
tory of fuel shortages in North Dako-
ia. Joined their warnings to those OF
Mr.. Truax this afternoon; n OF
them said:
people sometimes became careless
because the expected dangers are not
realized to their fullest extent. While
we have had no really disastrous coal
famine in the state, we have several
times been on the verge OF one, and
those occasions remain so wildly ir
the minds of most, people that they
should heed the repeated warnings tc
secure their fuel at the earliest pos
sible opportunity. The old story
about the shepherd boy who played
practical jokes on the villagers BY
time and again calling them out be.
cause, as he said, a wolf was coming
has pointed application here. 1t will
be remembered that when the wolf fl.
nally did come. people did not believe
the boy and left him and the sheep tt
their fate.
Warnings Of former eason have
not been entirely in vain. but it doe:
seem as though our people this veal
do not wholly appreciate the serious.
ness Of the situation. If they keep or
ignoring the actually existing dangers
aid may come too late. And that Ger.
tainly should be avoided" ,.. T.