Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-03-17
| oNDoN HAS A
COAL SHORTAGE n
Goal Queues" Make Their
Appearances in City
Terror of Poorer
Glasses.
INTERESTING SIGHT
People Line Up and Buy
Their Coal in Small
Quantities.
INTERESTING SIGHT

London, March Correspondence
Of The Associated Press.) Coal queues,
the terror of the poor of London, have
again made their appearance because
of an acute shortage in the coal sup
ply, and thousands upon thousands of
persons have been daily standing in
line in the hope of getting enough coal
to keep some kind of fire going in their
humble homes.
A coal queue is an interesting sight.
EARLY in the morning the number Of
customers appearing at some distribute
ing point exceeds the number being dis
posed of by the coal merchant. So they
line up, in the order Of their arrival,
and patiently wait until they are sup
piled, or are told by the merchant that
he has no mofe-by no means an in
frequent development
Buy Small Quantities.
They buy in small quantities for two
reasons-some of them have little mon
ey to invest in coal at existing high
prices, while the second cause is the
lack of means to remove large quanti-
ties. Often perambulatOrs provide the
vehicle, but more often the purchaser
tucks his sblack diamonds" away in
an old basket, and hurries on his way.
If the dealer is so fortunate as to
have ton or two of coal, the queue
will he maintained for hours in the bit
ing cold. If his supply is short, he is
soon sold out, and the queue dissOlves.
only to be reformed at some other
place in the hope of finding more coal.
Turn Down Rich.
1t often happens that persons of
means approach the dealer and offer
high prices, for quantities out Of all
proportion to the supply, and it is Of
ten recorded that the dealer will re-
fuse the temptation, because he knows
that his trade is among the people who
are his regular customers, the poor OF
the neighborhood, and they will not
forget him when lie has abundant coal
to sell if he discriminates in favor of
Ia casual but richer person.
So poor and rich alike have been
suffering and shivering, because no one
really expected the temperature to drop
as sharply as it has within the last few
days. The winter to this time has been
,pen and wet and sickeningly chilly,
but not SO cold as to cause actual suf-
ering, even with short fuel supply.
But with the mercury towering around
20 degrees above zero, 80 degrees OF
FROST they call it here, coal Is ne
|cessity.
Miners Slow.
The shortage of coal is ascribed to
a number of reasons, chiefly the dila-
tory work of the miners who hav" dc-
ma nded a six hour working day, AMI
the scarcity of railroad cars Coal sup
pqies in all centers Of population are
far below normal, and there is no pros
pect of an immediate improvement in
the situation. Many persons have
sought other means of keeping warn-
One old man and his wife, they are over
eighty, have been in bed for q week
because they had no coal in the house.
and their daughter cares for them.
Children also are being kept between
blankets with success, but the sturdy
of the city must bear the burden as
well as they can, with mighty little
prospect of relief until the railroads
are in better position, or the balmy
days Of spring come to chase away the
necessity for artificial heat
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