Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1920-01-08
Uncle Sam Set Up His Own Coal Pile Soon Strike Began and
Kept RepIenshng From Mines Which Continued to Work
Nation Able to Last Out the Six Weeks Through
Efficiency of Government Control


4 Mi
Afriei BY BRUCE ckAGETT,~
MiAssstant to Director General of Rail-
SJHans roads.
Mo vii
rat,,r / have the thought that the people
Of the United States would like to
Know how their coal supply was han
vi He'd during the six weeks strike OF b1-
daugfuminous coal miners which has just
ChriS.ome to an end. This was the first ma
Miss wide coal strike the country ever
visit ,;no ~ enced, and therefore the prob
arising were novel. Necessarily,
NJ -, ing the continuance of the strike,
Ie tile exact stacks on hand could not be
nc made public at all times. although as
to all vital facts, the public seems to
M have been kept fully informed day by
day. Uncle Sam set up his own coal
. pile as soon as the strike began and
kept replenishing it from the mines
we which continued to work, but mean
COZ while the pile was being diminished
L more rapidly than new supplies were
in coming in, and before long it became
fan questlon OF keeping people warm
rather than what industries should be
" much longer many industries would
ma have had tn shu+ down and neon1e
& thrown out of work, but on the re-
slal Etricted basis to which the country
er finally came and with the part-time
WI production obtained undoubtedly the
nation could have Carried on" for
weeks longer, if not months.
Strike Anticipated.
Several weeks before the coal strike
M began on November 1 it's coming was
Min plainly apparent, and therefore the
Maj director general of railroads, Walker
r. %. Hines, consulted with all the re
- gional directors of railroads and the
principal members of his staff, and
decided that If the strike came it would
Al be the job of the railroad administra-
Il tion to make the coal produced go as
far as possible. After thorough dis
Cussion the plan was adopted of allow
Ing all coal mined up to the time of the
strike proceed as billed to consignees
on the idea that once the strike actu-
ally began the railroads could look
nfter their own and the emergency
needs of the country by taking over
coal actually on the rails at that time.
Through this method foresighted con-
Eumers were placed in a position to
store up. The alternative method
would have been for the railroads to
have begun to buy coal early in prepa-
ration for the strike, thus keeping such
coal out of normal channels
Prior to the strike very careful
survey of stocks on hand, both of rail-
roads, industries and individuals (as
far as possible) was conducted SO that
the railroad administration went into
the strike with as accurate knowledge
Of the coal situation throughout the
country as was obtainable. The adj
ministration's original survey on No
vember showed 100000 tons of BIZ
luminous coal on wheels and in rail
road storage subject to distribution
! under the administration supervision.
PEI To this was added the daily produc-
r. ton which totaled 19,S00000 tons in
November and of the aggregate the
s. stocks still available for the country
!, protection on December 1, 12,3O0O0O
i tons and on December 8, 11,475OOO
I tons.
Prior to the strike orders were is
sued by the railroad administration
give preference to coal loading and
az i'io lis naturally resulted in hardship on
age OF 6me industries. The result was how
C,as,e lor, that in the week ended October
a total of 13.2OO,O0O tons of coal
year ives produced and moved in the United
The Couites, this constituting a record for
top OF th r, eounlas LOOK nara , WORK ny
ceipts lnormous amount of coal. Once the
An e.ike was on, the production never
ached so per cent of normal, with
iie"iS ee result shown above, viz, that in
OF Wlot.dition to using the production every
$50 OO0ty, the stored coal in possession of
H. ae ne railroads was depleted in the six