The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1919-12-03

Mayor McClanahan received in
structions yesterday from the Reg
ional Fuel Board at Atlanta, to rigid
ly enforce the governments fuel con-
servation orders. Firms, offices, es-
tablshments and citizens violating
the governments regulations as laid
down in Sundays papers and as
amended yesterday will have their
lights and fuel cut off and if they
persist in violating the law they will
be reported to the government for
action.
The wire order was received too
late yesterday to get it in force at
four o'clock. Officers soon after went
the rounds of the business districts
instructing all places to observe the
regulations and it is expected by to-
day that the order will be enforced
in its entirety. All places Of business
are expected to familiarize them
selves with the governments require
ments and to carry out the law to the
letter.
The drastic fuel conservation or
der, issued by the government on
last Saturday and becoming effective
last Monday at noon, was received in
this city with CONSERVATION. AT last
the people were brought home to the
seriousness Of the situation and the
grave obligation it entailed upon all
citizens, business and industry.
There was hurried consultation
among our business men as TO the
manner of its observance. Out Of the
Generalization which resulted on Mon
day no concerted action came and
business men were grouping about
watching the other fellow TO see if
he was adhering to the new law.
Mayor McClanahan received mo Off
cial order up to Monday night and
he was in doubt as TO the course 10
pursue. When the Monday papers APP
peared stating that official orders had
been mailed TO every mayor in the
territory involved and charging them
with the responsibility for the en-
forcement of the new measure he
advised all business concerns to live
up to the spirit as well as the letter
of the law. White way lights APP
peared early in the evening only TO
be turned off few hours later. Signs
and window lights were also on only
TO disappear few hours later. Along
in the afternoon at four o'clock the
stores were at their busiest hours.
Sain prevented the usual Satur-
day crowd from coming TO the city
and Monday was taken advantage of
by the country traders. The result
was that Monday carried the largest
volume of trade here enjoyed in a
long time. At four o'clock the stores
closed one eye and kept the other on
their competitors. Light were cut out
and in those plants and offices not
included in the drastic order lights
were curtailed to the minimum in
many places being cut fifty per cent.
Along towards night all of the bus
iuess houses shut off their lights and
by nine o'clock, il look like old vii
lage times.
From Supt Patton's Office at the
Southern, The Dispatch learns that
there are probably rs cars Of coal in
the office of the Southern railroad in
the city. The railroad administra-
tion is the source through which the
provisions of the fuel administration
are administered and Mr. Patton is
administering the fuel regulation for
the entire line of the Southern rail-
road from thsi city to Greenville. All
orders for this territory come through
him from the roads agents and they
are transmitted to the Fuel Admins
tration at Atlanta. The NJ. and o.
reported no coal in their yards yes
terday.
To give one an idea how acute the
situation here is it is only necessary
to refer to the plights which a num-
Der Of the essential industries find
themselves in. The light company
yesterday had just enough coal to run
them another day. The fuel admin