The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-11
Simple Facts About
the Fuel Shortage
That May Start Re-
forms in Handling
the Situation
By AGNES c. LAUT.

w question of our winters fuel.
First came the big operators with blast
of warning in April that a worse coal cri-
sis would be ahead Of us next winter than
we had faced and suffered in the season
passed. Output was short. Cars were
short. Miners were short. Then in June
came pronunciamento from the Fuel
Administrator Office that the United
States was "facing national disaster in
coal" If crying "wolf, wolf,' would keep
the wolf off we none of us would need to
blow on our fingers to keep warm next
winter. The country needed SO,OOOOOO
more tons than last winter and was ac-
tually mining less. Last year the country
mined 5OO00,0O0 tons more than usual
and was short, and if we need SO,0OO,O0O
tons more than in 1917 and are actually
mining less where on earth are we going
to be! Out in the cold, very much out in
the cold, without doubt unless we con-
sent to rigid coal rationing-fuelless days
and lightless nights and cut off from nom
essential industries and that sort of thing.
So if explanations would stoke up the fur
mace We would not be cold again this
winter.
Facing Fits of Explanation.
But, worse and worsei No sooner had
We thrashed our arms about to set circu-
lation going than out came an appeal to
the miners and High Heaven not to cele
brate the Fourth of July in so many
liquid refreshments that sore heads and
slack work would result on the 9Th and
the 9Th, and the miners and High Heaven
responded by dropping the total output of
coal that week II per cent. in bituminous
and 25 per cent. in anthracite. Though it
was cool week the thing fairly made us
hot. Off We all went into another fit of
explaining-short ears, short hours, short
miners, short tons, short everything ex-
cept-thank neutrality-suspicious. Ex-
plantations still kept coming along in long,
long tons and longer tongues. We all
gave tongue. We sure did; when, presto,
a CLEAN of hope in the chill, chill skies
June 10, national disaster from coal
shortage" Mercrgy still lower-there
was no coal promised on -June 10 and
there was less promised July Z, but July
81 we chopped to avert a second cruel fuel
crisis" because the output had jumped
above the dead line for single week.
And so we are all little confused
on the question of fuel. All We know is
the most of the country districts in the
East have it and the most OF the city dis
tricts haven't, and that in the Northwest
the most of the country districts haven't
it and the most of the city districts have
it-and the Northwest has TO get its coal
before the lake navigation closes. AS for
the middle West-I quote coal journal
-"the prevailing note is an intense de-
mand for coal and patient waiting for
coal promised which doesn't come When
you consider the number of war plants
in the middle West and the number of
public utilities that couldn't get coal to
run their ears to carry the wOrkmen to
those war plants last winer, when every
thing balled up in confusion worse con-
founded, that waiting for coal promised
tina doesn't come is chilly fact.
Enough Coal Not Being Handled.
The truth is coal is everywhere wanted
and it isn't everywhere being delivered;
and though We may not have fifty-nine
storms in sixty-tive days tying up cars
and barges as last winter north of the
Mason and Dixon line the need of coal
runs from five to seven tons per head for
a winter; and we aren't getting it in stor-
age at that rate and it isn't being pro-
duced at that rate, altogether apart from
the extra needs to speed up war work.
The question is, Are we going to get the
coal or are We not, and if not why not?
Let us have it out now before the cold
comes, and let us have facts and not windy