Republican farmer., 1919-12-05
S0F I COAL NEEDED IN THE WEST
Distributors Agree That New England Is Better Off Than Other Sections of the Country.

Boston, Dec. 4-Reports that soft coal ordered for New Eng land might be diverted to west ern cities caused some concern today among large consumers here although distributors agreed that the district was bet ter off as regards its supply than some other sections.
 Several manufacturing centers re- ported that the fuel on hand would last less than a month under the present rate of distribution.
 William A. Clark, president of the New England Coal Dealers associa. tion, said that while this district had been more fortunate than many oth- CTS, scattered manufacturing plants were beginning to feel the shortage.
 The Rockingham Electric Light & Power Co.,, which supplies Ports lines of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Co.,, running into Dover, and Nashua, Haverhill New buryport, Northamesbury and Low ell, notified it's consumers that it's fuel would be exhausted in a week and that 1t was unable to obtain a new supply.
 Preparations for conserving fuel supplies went forward today over vir- tuany the entire Western country as the dwindling coal reserves caused incidental discomfort and disruption of industry.
 No immediate relief through a re- turn to work of bttuminous miners who went on -rike 34 days ago was in sight, although the larger coal oper- ators were ready today to submit a new wage scale which it was said would contain more liberal conces- sions to the miners than the fl per cent. increase proposed by Fuel Ad- ninistrator Garfield
 Some of the larger cities today for the first time since the walkout was called felt the stress of the situation From additional cities and towns ot the west and southwest some of them entirely without fuel, came reports ot actual suffering. In three Nebraska towns fence-posts and ear corn were being burned.
 In Kansas an apDreciable amount of fuel was being brought from the , surface mines by volunteers working under protection of state and federal would be operated by the state, 6 statement by the governor said unless the miners returned to work under i the terms offered them. One company of state miiltiamen already was or i duty in the vicinity of the Nissour l surface mines and three additiona companies were ordered there. 1 Contradictory reports as to the
 number of coal mines which operated ! yesterday in the Kanawha fields i West Virginia, were received toda! i by operators and the union. Accord ing to figures from the Kanawha op | erators' association, 30 mines work l ed in that field Wednesday, 9. gain O i five over the previous day.
 1 The fuel situation in the Pittsburgh 1 district took on a more serious aspec | today when officials of the fedora | fuel administration here made pub lie an order cutting off coal supplies to many industries. Under the order permits for coal will be issued onl, to the first five consumers on tn governments essential list, includin;
 railroads, federal, state and count. ! departments, public utilities and re tai1ers.
 Volunteers for work in the mine or nearby states were Stlll regISterIn; in Nebraska today. It also was sait that Wyoming faced possibility O volunteer mining under protection o troops. Calls were issued for ex-ser vice men to mobilize to work in tn
 mines and additional troops wer sent from Cheyenne to protect miner who wished to work.
 Iowa. mine operators served notic on union workers that unless they re turned to work on December 8, tn ,mines would be opened to any com potent labor.
 From Iowa, Montana, Western Kan sas and Nebraska came chief com
 plaints of suffering rom the fue shortage.
 At Butte, Mont, scores of old build
 ings were to be torn down to provid
 fuel for needy families, the wood t be provided without cost.
 In Chicago a 1-2 hour working da:
 in virtually all industries, effectiv
 tomorrow had been decreed by tn
 state public utilities commission. Tn
 order also carried drastic provision
 for reducing transportation, curtail
 ment of amusements, Initiating dis , play lights, lowering of temp in surface and elevated cars and cut ting off of elevators.