New Britain herald., 1918-04-16
new COAL famine
MENACES nation
Production Decreases and Car
Shortage Becomes Acute


the danger of another coal famine,
because of reduced production in the
bituminous fields, due to car shortage
and labor unrest is given by Fuel Ad-
| M; nistrator Garfield. During the
week ending April 6, he said, pro-
t;uction fell Off 100000 tons.
some part of this loss DR.. Gar
field said. was due to failure of mine
labor on April /, Mitchell day, the an =
| niTersary Of the enact1nent Of the
eieht-hour law. With the exception
Of two weeks during tho hardest
weather Of the winter, the daily BIZ
luminous production was lowered
during the week ending April more
than at any time since the fuel ad-
lntnistration was organized.
"A large part Of this falling off in
production, however, is due to the
continued lack OF transportation serv-
ice. as evidenced by the shortage of
cars placed at the mines to be loaded.
This is due to the general pressure
o. war traffic on the railroads.
Car Shortage Factor.
Car shortage reports for the week
ended April 6 are not yet available,
but for the week ended March 80 the
mines throughout the country showed
an average loss in production due to
car shortage of 23.3 per cent
Statistics were made public con-
corning the car service situation dur
ing the week ended March 80. In the
fields OF illinois, Indiana and Ohio,
the average loss due to car shortage
was 22.6 per cent. In one of these,
the northern and central Ohio field,
the loss was 342 per cent.
In the Pennsylvania fields the loss
il production due to car shortage
averaged 32.4 per cent.
In the New River and Winding
Gulf and Pocahontas fields, which
supply the low volatile coal vitality
needed by the navy and the merchant
marine, for bunker purposes, loss in
production due to car shortage was
24.4 per cent.
In the high volatile fields Of South
ern West Virginia and the Fairmont
district the average loss in production
due to car shortage was sos per cent.
The Southern high volatile fields lost
AIS per cent. and the Fairmont field
5e.1 per cent.
The Cumberland Piedmont field
showed a loss of production of 1876 per
cent, due to car shortage.
The mine fields in Kentucky, the
Southern Appalachian fields and the
Southwestern Virginia fields showed
an average loss in production of 29.l
per cent, due to car shortage.
On the other hand, in the Alabama,
Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkan-
sas, Iowa, Rocky Mountains and Pa
cif1c Coast fields, the car service was
within 3 per cent. Of normal Except
for Alabama, the bulk Of the output Of
these mines goes into domestic con-
sumption and is utilized west of the
Mississippi River. 1t does not enter
into the transportat ton problem in the
congested Eastern territory.
After reviewing the labor situation
in the mines, which he said had be-
come a menacing factor in the loss Of
production, because workmen who had
tdIeness forced upon them by lack of
cars were DESERVING to other indus
tries, DR.. Garfield said:
Among the causes Of disturbance
curtailing production is the unsettled
situation regarding contracts for rail-
road fuel. This question Is under con-
sideration by the Railroad and Fuel
administrators and will be settled at
the earliest moment possible.
1.-THE Fuel administration Is con-
vinced that. unless there is immediate
and material Improvement in car sup
ply efficiency, the country faces the
certainty of a serious shortage of btu
minous coal"
Railroads Selfish,
Car shortage at many Of the mines,
1t has been said, is due in no small
measure to the fact that the railroads,
in order to obtain fuel for their own
uses, had given 100 per cent. car serv-
ice to certain mines in return for
cheap coal. This practice. it has been
estimated. saved the railroads about
$40,O00,0o0 year in opera ting eX-
penses.
In regard to the labor situation the
fuel administrator said:
1.-THE continued shortage Of cars at
the mines in the fields supplying the
Eastern industrial territory has had
tho effect of keeping mine labor idle
for days at a time, and in some Of
the fields has cut the working time
to one or two days a week. Under
these conditions, the mine workers.
unable to maintain themselves and
their families on their curtailed pay
have been tempted by the steady en-
ployment offered by the war indus
tries in the manufacturing centers.
The fuel administration is grave
" apprehensive lest this condition re-
suit in the complete decentralization of
tho labor supply of the bituminous
mining industry. Even a short con-
tinuence of these car supply condi-
tons will result in forcing out of the
mining fields labor which the mining
operators and the fuel administration
may find it impossible to replace.
Reports to the fuel administration
give evidence of unrest and dissatis-
faction among the mine workers, who