Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-07-16
Friday, July Is, 1920.
"Men show by what they worship
what they are."-Calvin Coolidge.
No Coal Relief A. Vet

New England now faces the pos
sibility Of the worst coal shortage in
her history, and unless relief is
speedily secured, conditions will be
incomparably harder to meet than
during the severe war winter of 1917.
The board of representatives Of
New England interests appointed by
the six governors some time ago to
take up the coal problem with the
Interstate Commerce Commission
has made public it's report, extracts
from which are published elsewhere
in this paper. 1t will be recalled
that as result Of the boards action
fhe commission issued a priority or
der which was calculated to turn coal
shipments toward New England
ports. 1t has also been made public
that the coal operators interfered to
change the Interpretation Of the ord
er in such way that it was practi-
cally nullified and that James J.
Storrow said two weeks ago that not
one pound Of coal had reached New
England in consequence of the So
called preference order.
The investigators went very care
fully into the situation and their re-
port comprises a booklet of A pages.
In which are set forth the needs of
New England in normal times, the
discrepancy in shipments, the rea-
sons for the discrepancy and the at
tempts which have been made to
supply the necessary fuel.
Basing their estimates on the fig
ures for the coal years of 1916 1917
and 1918, they state very conserva-
lively that New England REQUIRES
100000 net tons Of bituminous
coal. During the past three months.
the quarter-year most favorable to
shipment both by land and sea. New
England has been receiving coal at
the rate Of only 1s.600.00o tons per
annum. This resulting shortage will
inevitably force the closing of mills
and factories. as public utilities like
water and gas works and railroads
must be kept going.
The investigators confirmed the
general impression that plenty Of coal
is being mined, the figures for 1920
being well in advance Of the produce
ton for 1919 and showing an output
not far behind that of the war years
of 1917 and 1918 when every mine
was being worked to the utmost.
The problem is one of distribution
and transportation. The mine opera
tors have the legal right to sell their
product where they can get the most
for 1t, Of course, and they choose to
send 1.-THE larger part Of their coal
to the four corners Of the earth in
stead Of to their regular customers
located in New England and else
where" according to the investiga-
tors report. At Hampton Roads and
= Baltimore. whence most of our coal Is
re-shipped. foreign vessels are de-
scribed as struggling to get coal
without regard to price,-and they
do get it.
The first attempt to meet this
competition was to buy coal in the
Pennsylvania field instead of from
West Virginia, as usual. This helpeo
some, but at the same time tends to
withdraw fuel from markets in other
parts Of the country. The New Eng
land commission pointed out to the
Washington authorities that a coal
shortage differs in one important re-
spect from a shortage in other staple
commodities. II cotton or wool In
short one can wear last years
clothes, but last years coal cannot be
returned. They appealed to the In
terstate Commerce Commission to in
tervene, under its recently expanded
powers. to prevent mine operators
from helping foreign factories at the
expense Of home industries. The ef-
fect-or non effect of the action TAX
en- has been noted.
The next move. according to a
statement Of Governor Milliken Tues
day. is an appeal by the New England
governors to the President to declare
an embargo on coal for export until
domestic wants have been supplied.
II the mine operators viii not Of
themselves consider home needs first,
they must be taken In hand and
forced to do 80. or the entire country
will suffer while foreign lands work
and prosper on our coal.
Scientists who have been discov-
erinY sugar in the Douglas Ar have