Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1919-11-15
METHOD OF RAILROAD
 DISTRIBUTION OF COAL

The method by which the Railroad Administration, acting for the Gov ernment, will distribute coal during the present emergency was announced here yesterday by District Director William Sproule with the appointment of District Coal Committee for terri tory within his jurisdiction which em- braces that portion of the country south of Ashland, Oregon, and west of Ogden, Albuquerque and Ell Paso.
 The Committee includes representa- tives of all large roads operating in this district and has as it's chairman l.. F. Newton, of the United States Railroad Administration. His head quarters will be in the Southern Pa cific Building in San Francisco.
 The situation and the method to be employed in the distribution of coal was explained last night by Chairman Newton as follows:
 "All carload shipments of coal now in transit from mines to consignees, whether retail yards, industries, or others, have been confiscated and the coal is now in possession and under the control of the Railroad Admini- stration. It is possible for consignees to insure delivery of shipments order ed from the mines if their needs are sufficiently urgent to warrant prefer ence. It is essential that original con signees and all receivers of carload shipments of coal file their applica- tions with nearest railroad agent of the line usually making delivery of their shipments.
 "We are today furnishing all rail- road agents with application blanks to be filled out in detail by receivers of coal setting forth full information as to their requirements.
 "The railroad with which the appli- cation is filed is required to verify the statements contained therein and pass the application to our Committee with suitable recommendations. It win be our duty then to fill such of these applications as we can from a district coal pool comprising all coal on wheels now held at convenient points of distribution together with coal hereafter loaded at the mines. In administering this coal pool we will be guided by the priority list estab- lished by Dr. H. A. Garfield which specifies that consumers rank as fol- lows: (a) railroads (b) Army and Navy and Federal Government (c) State and County Departments and Institutions (d) public utilities (e) re- tail dealers (f) manufacturing plants on War Industries Boards Preference List (g) manufacturing plants not on such list (h) jobbers (i) lake (j) tide water.
 Acting upon the recommendations of the railroads with which the appli- cations is filed, and having in mind the location of available coal and the amount on hand, we will direct the roads to fill the applications with the best possible advantage"
 Coal diverted for commercial uses is to be paid for in accordance with the Fuel Administrators Order of January 4, 1918. Applicants must give satisfactory assurance of finan- cial responsibility and are required to deposit sufficient security for any coal furnished. Applicants must also make definite written obligation to pay shipper for the coal promptly up- on presentation of bill. Legal trans portation charges including war taxes, from mines to point of delivery to the applicant will be collected on delivery in usual way.
 In placing orders for new shipments from the mines applications should be made at the same time to. the local railroad agent for preferential deliv- cry.