Evening star., 1918-02-10
How Switzerland Guards
Her Small Supply of Coal

7F you think that you are suffering
from coal shortage in this country.
go to Switzerland and see how they
are put to it there for fuel. Hans Sui
zer Swiss minister to the United
States. who was in Switzerland a few
months ago. tells abont the drastic
try, and only by means of which the
limited supply of coal which Switzer-
land may obtain from Germany comes
anywhere near meeting the fuel needs
of the country.
In Switzerland legislators wear over
coats and muff1ers in legislative cham
bers. kept purposely cool as an exam
pie in coal economy for the rest of the
country; the movie fan must witness
the exploits of his favorite heroine in a
temperature which freezes the breath.
and the Swiss home is kept by law only
few degrees above the temperature
of a cold storage plant.
Here are a few of the fuel regula-
tions, as given by Mr.. Sulzer:
Fires may be started only when the
thermometer on three consecutive days
registers 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or If
on single day the mercury drops to
35.
Fires are put out If the thermometer
registers higher than 40 on three con-
secutiye days.
Houses are heated to 81 in living
heat is limited to a certain number Of
rooms. depending upon the size of the
house and the number of persons in the
family. Even IL one has his own wood
he is not allowed to heat his house
above the standard temperature
Schools, barracks. offices and workrooms
nave the same temperature houses.
Theaters, movies. concert halls and other
at all If the temperature outside is above
80, and when the fires are started the
heat must be kept down to A. and two de-
grees cooler in churches and chapels. Rail-
road coaches may only be heated enough
to take of the chill. and the wayfarer who
journeys far in a street car must take
his own heat with him.
The office day has been shortened and
school holidays shifted into midwinter
when the closed schoolhouse means fuel
conservation.
Hot water is available only one day
each week. Restaurants and hotels can
not serve hot food after o'clock. Res
taurants are without heat from 10 at
night to 10 in the morning.
Ventilation systems are put out of
operation, crematoriumS are shut down,
stack rooms in libraries. exhibition rooms
and lobbies are without heat and every
possible avenue for the wastage of pre-
cious heat is closed by the action Of the
ingenious Swiss government.
II the comfort-loVlnS American with
his hot meals whenever he wants them,
and balmy summer air in his office and
home through the coolest weather, spent
one day in Switzerland under present
conditions none of the Garfield fuel or
ders could possibly excite any kind of a
kick from him." said Mr. Sulxer. First
OF all he would wake up in a cold room.
If 1t happened to be the day when no hot
water Is procurable, he would either have
to take a cold plunge or go without his
morning bath. He would eat breakfast
restaurant which even hot food and cof-
fee could not counteract. His office tenn
perature would at best be but 81. and
1t might not be that IL his employer had
not succeeded in getting coal II. after
office. he decided to go to movie to warm
up, he would ind the audience huddied
up in their seats. Even II he went
mp to tho federal palace. tho building
where the federal council and both