The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu REAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, D. c.
THE COAL PROBLEM IS UP TO
IGNACE
Washington. D. c.

|
Washington, Oct. 23.-If Ignace
Brzipsky, friendly alien from some-
where in South Slavonia, enlists in the
United States army and gets hit by u
chunk of shrapnel. his picture is pub
lished in the paper, he gets a pension
| and maybe a medal. He is a hero.
But If Ignace stays at home in West
| Virginia to dig coal, and a large chunk
| of that commodity falls on his neck,
he gets no credit or glory whatever.
He is undoubtedly more valuable as
coal miner than he could possibly be
as a soldier, but no~recognition of this
fact is accorded to him.
Because miners are very scarce he
gets good wages-very good wages.
Some skilled miners-the men that.
| work the driils-make as much as
| $3.50 a month. In one colony of 113
miners in Ohio 81 automobiles are
owned. Ignace never before saw so
much money. Naturally, he wants to
| enjoy it. He has tendency to work
, four days a week and devote three to
| the arts of pleasure. In case of a we'd
| ding, christening, or a funeral In his
family, he commonly takes about two
| days off to observe the occasion in a
befitting and dignified manner. Why
shouldn't he? True, the nation needs
! the coal he could dig in those days.
But until recently nobody has told
| him so. He will get nothing except
money for working those extra days,
and he already has more money than
he ever learned how to spend. So
| lgnace knocks off and practices spend
ing it. You would do the same.
| The fall drive which the fuel ad
minfstration is making for more coal
production is based upon recognition
| of this point of view which Ignace
| shares with nearly all the other coal
| In ha 1frx- hA ~
majority of them are of alien blood
and speech, like he.
| The problems of transportation and
| price and management have been
| worked out scientifically; and the coal
| experts have now arrived at the fun
| damental problem of Ignace and his
| viewpoint. They are trying to solve
it by telling Ignace how necessary he
is. by making him feel his responsible
lty' and by giving him due credit
| when he does respond. That Ignace is
| by no means deaf to this appeal is
| shown by the fact that the bituminous
| coal production is creeping up, month
| by month. despite the fact that labor
is becoming steadily scarcer. Ignace
| is doing it.
The method by which his response
bility is being brought home to Ignace
| is called the quota method, The fuel
administration assigns 4 certain
amount of coal which each coal dis
trict must produce> in order to meet
the nations needs. The director in
each region assigns a certain quota
| to each mine. And in each mine a
quota is assigned to every miner
| That's where the system reaches Ig-
mace. Meanwhile his priest or the
| pastor of his church is telling him
| that the fate of civilization depends
upon his efforts to meet that quota.
The teacher is telling the Same thing
| 10 little 1Snace, Jr., in school. If Ig-
| mace works six days a week, little Ig-
mace comes home with a big button
| pinned to his chest, bearing the leg
end. My Dad is Full Time
Worker"
1t is Furthermore known that the
fuel administration will give a dinner
to the miners from the mine that pro-
| duces the largest amount Of coal per
worker.
| The amount of coal which Isnace
can dig has suddenly become a mat
Ter OF consequence quite aside from
the amount of money he can get for
ulgglng IT. He not only works, but
with that dinner in mind, he keeps
an eye on his fellow workers, The
foreman enters the mine
| Here. he demands, why amt you
fellows keeping up to the quota ?"
1gnace brzipsky levels a damning
de no dig!' he alleges angrily.
~ GU lie!" retorts Demetrio. And
individual responsibility for the ma
| Ioh coal production is forcefully fix
| ed then and there.
Whether the United States will have
enough coal this winter to keep war
industries going and also to keep warm
depends largely upon individual con-
science 1t is no worse for Ignace to
get drunk on pay day and lay off the
next day than it is for you to keep
llShtS burning that you don't need,
STOKE your furnace wastefully. and in
elst on maintaining an August temper
allure in your flat, when IS or 20 de-
grees of heat are better for your
health.
The point is that all of the factors
of production. distribution and con-
sumption which can be controlled by
| law and regulation have been SO con-
! trolled, and the coal supply can now lie
| increased only by what Ignace digs
and what you save for the good of the
cause.
The country is dependent for its war
ume coal supply largely upon a few
districts in West Virginia, Pennsylyan-
ia and Ohio. This is because these
districts are within reach of the man
ufacturing cities that need the coal
There is enough coal in Indiana and
Illinois to supply the nation, but we
haven't the cars to haul Illinois coal
| to Massachusetts factory towns, New
England must get it's coal from West
| Virginia, by way of Norfolk and the
coast steamers, OR from Central and
| Northern Pennsylvania by rail.
1t Is useless. therefore, to look else
where for coal to supply the New Eng
| land industries. A large part of it
| has got to come from the Pocohontas
field in West Virginia. This field is
only way to produce the increased
quantities of coal, which New England
| needs this winter. is for each indi-
vidual miner to work a little harder.
| AT a dinner given by the fuel admin
istration recently in the Pocohontas
| field, this situation was explained to
miners and operators. They Joined in
a pledge to produce two million tons