Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-01-09
Administration Makes 1t Clear
That Consumption by Nom
essential Industries Must Be
Cut Down,
mo BUSINESS WILL BE
FORCED TO SUSPEND
Plan Outlined Is Expected to
Save Many Million Tons for
imperative Work Needed byI
War,

teY HosaISa ouRNAL SPECIAL LEASED wlsEt
Washington, Jan. S.-A coal
budget plan" based on the voluntary
agreements of manufacturers not en-
gagged in war work to reduce their fuel
consumption and backed by orders
of the fuel administration making the
agreements applicable to all factories
Of each industry, was announced to-
night by the fuel administrator as its
method of adjusting demand to supply
in 1918.
Reduction in consumption Of pos
sibly 50,000,000 tons of coal for the
year is contemplated. The army and
navy, munitions works. other war ma
terial factories, public utilities and
domestic consumers will be the only
classes OF consumers to receive 100
per cent OF their needs while the war
continues.
Savings viii BE Large.
Manufacturers already have been
called into conference to put the plan
into operation, and the annual saving
promised by the first group will be
between 15.0O0,000 and 10000, 600
tons. In 1917 the increased demand
for coal amounted to 100, 100000 tons,
while the increase in output was
about 100000 tons. Under the same
conditions this year the untitled tom
mage would be taken care of by the
reduction in factories not contributing
directly to the prosecution of the war.
Curtailmcnt of fusl consumption
necessarily implies reduction of out
put by the factories, so the fuel ad-
ministraton sees in its program aid
I'm the diversion of labor and mate
rials to war work. The budget" by
egreement is adopted in lieu of the
often proposed arbitrary classification
of industries into essential and nom
essential divisions.
Balakcc Demand and Supply.
"1t is believed" the fuel admins
tTation's announcement says, that
the operation of this plan will for
ever lay the ghost of the agitation to
cut off essential Industries and
will automatically balance the relation
between the production and consump-
'tion Of coal and prevent any repetition
Of the present coal shortage"
one of the striking instances in
which curtailment already has been
effected is in the brewing industry.
Representatives of the American
Brewers association and others affil-
lated with the making of beer volun-
teered a reduction of 100000 tons OF
coal annually. other industries which
have been represented in conferences
with the fuel administration have
been paint and varnish, wall paper
confectionery, artificial ice, box board
and glassware. The voluntary reduc-
ton of one days running each week
by the box board manufacturers will
amount to 100000 tons a year and
will take 10000 carloads of mer-
chandise freight off the congested
railroads,
Must CurtaiI Fuel.
There are more than 100 industries
not engaged in war work which must
curtail their use Of fuel.
"T'hese industries, sometimes mis-
called 'non-essential industries" says
the announcement, ARE the backbone
of the country's economic system
They employ ten million workers and
| from them must come the taxes anc
bonds which will pay for the war
| These industries have never objected
to anv curtailment of coal or materla
or men which could be shown to be
| necessary to win the war 1t was th'
| indefinite threat of annlhllauon pS
restrictive orders during the last two
or three months that has alarmed tins
| leaders of business and tlnance.