The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-22
COAL PRODUCTION IS
NEARING NORMAL IN
MINES OF ALABAMA
Between 80 and 80 Per Cent
of Miners Working Now,
Report Operators-Ex-
pect Shortage Here

Between 80 and 80 per cent
of coal miners and mine work
ers in the Birmingham district
are again working at the mines,
according to reports made by
the operators yesterday. With
this number of men back at
work production Is expected to
reach almost normal figures
next week.
Notwithstanding the output in
the district Is approaching normal
there is mt present acute shortage
of coal in Birmingham. which Is
likely to become more acute unless
mining conditions throughout the
country improves within few
days.
For the first time in several years
Birmingham coal is going west or the
Mississippi river through Memphis,
New Orleans and Greenville, and as
long as Birmingham has to supply
those sections in addition to taking
care of the local needs there can be
no hope of improvement in the local
situation.
The fact that coal in considerable
quantities is now going beyond the
Mississippi river makes longer railroad
hauls necessary with consequent dim
mutton in the car service. While the
RAILROADS and the Birmingham operat-
ing committee, of which Col. III. e.
Hutchens is chairman, are urging the
greatest possible promptness in moving
and loading and unloading cars, delays
are unavoidable and as the number OF
cars cannot be increased there neces-
sarily will be longer periods bet sesn
the loading of the cars and their re-
turn to the mines.
CAUSE OF CAR FAILURE
This fact. it is explained. is the cause
of the failure of the Frisco to deliver
all the cars requisitioned for the De-
Bardeleben Coal Company's Sipsey
mines during the present week.
1.-The cars are being handled just as
expeditiously as possible" said Colonel
Hutchens, but it is obvious that cars
that must go beyond the Mississippi
river cannot make the trip from mine
to consumer and return in as short
time as when they had only few
miles or hundred miles to go and
return"
Colonel Hutchens yesterday mailed
the fuel administrations recent order
regulating the delivery of coal to do
nestle consumers to the local freight
agents in the zone supplied by Biz
mingham mines. This order limits the
amount of coal that may be delivered
to any domestic consumer at one time
to one ton. The order mailed out by
Colonel Hutchens reads:
"Because of the great scarcity of
coal for household use. 1T Is imper-
alive that deliveries, until further
notice, of domestic sizes of coal
from retail yards for household use
be restricted to one ton per house,
hold.
Colonel Hutchens stated that local
freight agents are required to transmit
this order to all retail dealers in their
respective vicinities, and to advise them
that any violations of the order would
result in cutting off further deliveries
of coal to the retailers.
Domestic consumers in Birmingham,
who laid in their winters supplies last
summer and in the early fall are con-
graduating themselves now that they
did so, as they are not affected by the
new restrictions. Whatever happens
they have coal in their bins to last
until spring and the shortage causes no
alarm to them.
BLOSSBURG MINES WORKING
A man named Allison reported to the
district headquarters of the miners
union yesterday that, acting on instruc-
lions from district officials, he had
called a meeting of the striking miners
at Blossburg Mine No 8 of the Sloss-
Sheffield steel and Iron Company, at
which they voted to return to work.
He states that he urged them to go
back to their old jobs and that all did
SO yesterday morning, but when he
applied for work he was informed that
he had talked too much" and there
was nothing for him to do.
All of the other men, it is stated,
were put to work and the mine was
operating about normal yesterday.
1t was reported yesterday that pro-
duction is now between so and 80 per
cent and that more men are returning
to work every day. At this rate of
increase, if maintained, the Birming-
ham mines will be up to normal pro-
duction by the middle of next week.
William L. Harrison and George
Hargrove. international organizers of
the United Mine Workers, left yester-
day for Washington in response to a
summons from the department of JUS
tice They took with them the sworn
statements of large number of strfk-
ers who claim that the operators re-
fused to give them their old places
back when they applied for them sub
seuuent to the strike recall order.
Mrs. Turner to Appear
at Weekly Luncheon