The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-09
Uncle Sam Set Up His Own Coal Pile Soon as Strike Began and
Kept RepIenshng 1t From Mines Which Continued to Work
y Nation Able to Last Out the Six Weeks Through
Efficiency of Government Control

weeks Of the strike from 22,0OO,OUO
tons to 11,375.O0O tons.
Pile Saved Country.
At times during the strike some COM
plants were made regarding the hold
ing of this coal in storage and on
wheels by the railroads. Without such
storage, however, the country would
have suffered much more than 1t did,
and it would have been impossible to
have looked after the emergency re-
quirements of the parts of the country
in greatest need. Throughout the
strike practically all of the coal moved
was produced in West Virginia and
Pennsylvania, although some coal was
produced in Kentucky, Alabama and
Wyoming and few other states. The
great central competitive fields, how
ever, closed down completely and out
side of the stocks on hand the people
in that territory had to depend entirely
on the coal from the East and upon
the coal in the hands of the railroads
to meet just this emergency.
At the beginning of the strike coal
was delivered freely to all of the ten
classes on the fuel administrators pri-
GRITTY list, but soon afterward it was
necessary to restrict deliveries to the
first five classes, which included rail-
roads, army and navy, together with
other departments of the government,
state and county departments and in
situations, public utilities, and retail
dealers, and toward the end Of the
strike it was difficult in some parts of
the country to meet even these re-
quirements, due to the fact that princi-
pally in the middle West the stocks
became almost exhausted and it was
necessary to depend practically en-
tirely upon the coal produced in the
East. The amount which could be
shipped West was limited, not by car
supply, but by transportation facilities
and the necessity for moving tnis
coal West was one of the reasons for
the curtailment of passenger service
in all parts of the country, which nat
urally led to some hardships and some
complaints.
With regard to these complaints, q
careful survey shows that, taken as
a whole. the country has stood re-
well the restrictions which
had to be placed.
The action of the government dur
ing the strike which caused the great
est comment was the placing of restric-
tons in connection with the use Of BIZ
luminous coal and coke in supplying
light, heat and power to stores, Office
buildings, manufacturing establish
meDts, etc. These regulations were
put into effect by the railroad admin
on the advice of the central
coal committee and under authority of |
the fuel administrator. They were put |
into effect primarily rs a coal con-
measure and because prior to |
their issuance local regulations, some |
times more stringent than these regu- |
ations, had already been laid down |
IN many sections of the country. Prior |
70 the issuance of these regulations
he fuel administrator had issued a re-
Iuest that coal for light, neat and
power be conserved as much as pos
;ible. Just as soon as the Indian
lpolis settlement was reached the at
.orney general, following out a prior
Immediately notified the
'ailroad administration, and plans were
1T once begun to modify restrictions,
With the result that within two days
after the strike was formally ended,
Instructions were issued to regional tli-
'ectors permitting them to remove the
restrictions as to the furnishing of
light, heat and power, and also permit
ing them to restore passenger trains
which had been taken off as coal con-
ervation measure.
The receipt of the word from In
Annapolis was also the signal for
he releasing of instructions already
for the turning of empty coal
airs towards mines which were ex-
'ected to begin operation in order to
the maximum production Of
III such mines at once.