The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-12-06
SHUTTING DOWN
MORE BUSINESS
Coal Shortage Felt Worse
Than Ever in the Mid
die West
SHARP CURTAILMENT
PASSENGER TRAINS
Only Slightly More Coal
Was Being Mined
To-day

Chicago, Dec 6-Drastic curtailment
of passenger train service throughout
the country, the eastern and southern
regional directors taking virtually the
same action as that two days ago by
the central north and southwestern di-
rectors, to-day had been ordered as a
fuel conservation measure. As the
strike of coal miners entered its sixth
week, optimism, which some operators
were said to feel, was not reflected in
actual favorable developments reported
from the coal fields.
Additional industries to-day were
closed or had given notice that opera.
tion would be suspended after to-day
while the coal saving orders that al
ready had put Chicago on six and
one-half hour business day and affected
other cities of the central west, north
and southwest to lesser degree, were
extended to other places. At Chicago a
six-hour day beginning Monday was
decreed and it was predicted by mem
bers of the regional coal committee
that few days continuance of the
miners walkout would force four.
hour day.
Only in isolated instances and in
small groups were miners reported ia
be resuming production. In the great
central competitive field and in Others
of the larger organized areas the min
ers generally maintained their attitude
of remaining away from work until a
larger wage increase than the Ia per
cent decreed by the federal fuel admin
istration was forthcoming
Production of coal at the Kansas
strip pits by volunteer workers in
creased, however, and plans were ad
vanced fer similar work in Missouri
Oklahoma and Arkansas.
In the reduction of approximately
one-third in train miles ordered in pas
senger traffic, some of the country's pa
latial trains were affected They in.
cluded the Twentieth Century on the
New York Central and Broadway Linn
tied on the Pennsylvania between New
York and Chicago and the North Coast
Limited, between Chicago and north
Pacific coast points.
The reduction in the central, north
and southwestern regions is effective
Monday, in the southern Tuesday and
in the eastern region Wednesday.
With moderation of the unseasonably
low temperatures that prevailed over
most of the country west of the Mis-
sissippi river for several days, urgency
Of pleas for fuel apparently had dimin-
ished to-day Many small cities and
towns in Nebraska, Montana and west
ern Kansas still were virtually without
coal, however, and substitutes were at
premium. Canadian coal shipments
somewhat relieved the situation in the
far northwest
The conference of governors of 10
states called for st. Louis, Sunday, has
been postponed indefinitely Governor
Gardner of Missouri, who called it, an.
nounced the meeting would not be held
until the federal fuel administration
acted on resolutions which the govern.
ors adopted week ago requesting
more liberal distribution of fuel in the
middle west and that fuel director foi
each state be named.
In connection with the plan to oper
ate Oklahoma mines with volunteer la
Dor, martial law had been proclaimed
in six counties in that state for the first
time.
North Dakota mines may be takeT
over and operated in any emergency by
The governor after July /, next, under
bill passed by special session of the
legislature last night.