The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-09-15

priority orders wGs to insure an
even. Systematic fluW OF coal TO
New England and the Northwest
under & weekly schedu1e SO ADJUST
"a as to adequately fill the current
requirements, as well as those
for next winter.
while the requirements Of the
Northwest and New England we're
the primary consideration, Tor thelr
wants were regarded as most I'M
perative, 1t was also comprehend:
ed under this program that no coal
should be taken from Mlchlgan,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and similar consuming territory IN
order to give coal to the North
west and New England, but that
these intermediate consuming sec
lions must have all the coal they
! had been getting for their tmmedi.
ate needs and for supply for next
"To handle the existing emergen.
cy the operators have been obliged
to overcome, so far as they could,
a shortage in coal supply which
was inherited from the strike OF
last winter. On April l there was
shortage of about 100000 tons
OF coal, which ordinarily would
have been spread throughout the
country in the hands ior big and
small consumers. This shortage,
because Of unprecedented demands
OF great manufacturing plants and
public utilities. grew, until early in
the summer It had reached more
than 25, 10000 tons. Early in June
public utility plants In the great
cities found themselves with stocks
OF coal enough to last only from
a week to ten days. Industrial
,, plants were in the same fix, while
the small consumer had been I'M
able to lay IN his winter supply.
when representatives of the bt.
luminous coal operators, working
through the National Coal AssoCla-
ton, gathered In Washington, early
In July, to canvass the situation,
which, because OF inadequate car
service, had been growing worse,
1t was conservatively estimated
that approximately 545, 100000 tons
OF coal must be shipped from the
mines for the year ending April /
next, to meet the country's require
ments. An analysis OF the situa-
ton showed that the coal.producing
districts OF Pennsylvania, Mary
land, Tennessee, West Virginia and
Ohio, upon which comes the brunt
OF supplying the East, including
New England and tho Great Lakes
movement, had been actually ship
ping about 100000 tons below the
monthly average required OF them,
While the market demand upon this
mining territory was approximate
ly 2S.O00,000 tons Of soft coal a
month, the shipments, from April
/ had averaged only about 23,O00,.
900 tons. This deficiency was en-
tirely due to the lack Of sufficient
open.top equipment to take coai
from the mines to the market.
These coal.producing districts
in the Northeast, up to July l, had
been able to ship only about per
cent. more coal than ip 1913, while
much greater demand had been
put upon them than In the CORE.
spending period OF that year. It
1919 a diminished production was
sufficient in the spring and early
summer months OF 1919, because
many consumers were using stocks
accumulated during the previous
fall, and also because many indus.
trial plants either had been shut
down or were running at reduced
time following the armistice. Most
of these plants had resumed this
spring, however, so that the market
requirements for coal In the spring
months of this year were consider
ably beyond those OF the spring Of
1919. This situation was rendered
more acute by the fact that the
coal miners strike last fall pre-
vented the accumulation of tho
usual stocks OF coal.
1T was therefore calculated early
in July that weekly output of 49,
100000 tons a week up to Decem.
Der /, as against a weekly average
from April to July OF approximate
ly 100000 tons. was needed to
catch up with the existing def.
fiency, and to assure a supply suf.
ficient to carry the country over
next Water. This goal OF 12,000,-
600 tons a week was fixed for the
bituminous coal mines throughout
the country when the operators
mapped out with the railroads, TO-