The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-02-06
GARFIELD GIVES HIS
REASON FOR ACTION
MOST IMPORTANT TO SEND FOOD
AND SUPPLIES ACROSS
SEAS, HE SAYS.
The Coal Needed to Send Them Away
Is Waiting Behind the Congested
Freight That Has damned
All Terminals.

Washington. Fuel Administrator
Garfield's statement in explanation or
his order closing down the Industries
east of the Mississippi river on Janu-
ary 10 10 %, inclusive, and also on
each Monday beginning January "
and continuing up to and including
March %, follows:
THE most urgent thing to be done
Is to send to the American FORCES
abroad and to the allies the food ana
war supplies which they vital;y need.
War munitions, food, manufactured
articles of every description, lying IN
Atlantic ports i'm tens of thousands Oh
tons, where literally hundreds OF SHIPS,
loaded with war goods for our men
and the allies, cannot take the seas
because their bunkers are empty OF
coal The coal to send them on their
way is waiting behind the congested
freight that has jammed all terminals.
Ships Need Fuel.
1T is worse than useless to bend
our energies to more manufacturing
when what we have already manufac-
tured lies ut tidewater cOngesting ter
minal facilities jamming the railroad
yards and side tracks for long dis
tances back into the country. No pow
er on earth can move this freight into
the war zone where it is needed until
we supply the ships with fuel.
"Once the docks are cleared of the
valuable freight for which our men
and associates in the war now want in
vain, then again our energies and
power may be turned to manufacture
ing, more efficient than ever, so that
a steady and uninterrupted stream of
vital supplies may be this nations an
swer to the allies cry for help.
Excess Production Blamed.
ut has been excess of production,
in our wartime speeding up. that has
done SO much to cause congestion on
our railroads; that has filed the
freight yards to overlooking; that has
cluttered the docks of our Atlantic
ports with goods waiting to go abroad.
At tidewater the flood of freight has
stopped. The ships were unable to
complete the journey from our fac
tories to the war depOts behind the
firing line.
Added to this has been the diff
fully of transporting coal for our own
domestic needs. On top of these diff
culties has come one of the most ter
IDLY severe winters we have known in
years.
Weather Works Havoc.
1.-The wheels were choked and
stopped; zero weather and snOwbound
trains; terminals cOngested; harbOrs
with shipping frozen in; rivers and
canals unpassable-it was useless to
continue manufacture and pie con-
fusion on top of confusion.
"A clear line from the manufacture
ing establishments to the seaboard and
beyond; that was the imperative need.
1t was like soldiers marching to the
front. The men in the foremost ranks
must have room to move.
More than shock was needed to
make way through that congestion
at the terminals and on the docks so
that the aid so vitality needed by the
allies could get through.
Mines Lie Idle.
1.-The incidental effect of this trans
portation situation on coal production
has been disastrous. There is and al
ways has been plenty of fuel. but it
can not be moved to those places
where it is SO badly needed while rail
road lines and terminals are choked.
Throughout the coal fields, scores.
even hundreds of mines are living idle
because of railroad inability to supply
the cars to carry away their product.
Goal mines cannot operate without
cars. Cars cannot be supplied while
the railroads are crippled by the pres
ent freight congestion. which keeps
lille cars lying useless in the freight
yards.
In the past week the production of
coal has been disastrously reduced
reports in some cases have shown 90
per cent OF the mines in certain fields
closed completely for lack of cars.
"fhis is war! Whatever the cost.
we must pay so that in the face of the
enemy there can never be the reproach
that we held back from doing our fuu
share. Those ships laden with our SIM.
plies of food for men and food for
guns must have coal and put to sea-"