The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-01-10
HOW COAL SUPPLY WAS CARED
FOR DURING STRIKE OF MINERS

committee of the United States Grail
road administration at Washington
| which throughout the strike had com
plete control over the distribution OF
coal mined and over supplies of coal
IN storage and on wheels on the rail.
roads when the miners stopped work
The committee had back of it all the
power Of the fuel administration I'm.
der the Lever act. There was no prece.
dent to go by. Being bound by no
presidents, it could go ahead in a
commOn-sense way and that is exactly
what 1t did.
Harry b. Spencer. director of divi-
sion of purchases of the railroad ad-
minlstratiOn, formerly vice president
of the Southern railroad. and a man
OF long experience in dealing with coal
questions, was given the unenviable
job Of handling the situation as chair
man Of the central coal committee. Be
fore the strike actually began, he had
his assistants all picked, his plans all
made, his orders written and every
thing prepared to take charge. There
fore. the evening of October 81 DR..
Harry A. Garfield, the fuel administra.
tor, who had rendered his resignation
months before, but whose resignation
had not been accepted and whose pow
ers had only been suspended, not an
nulled, was called back into service
and issued an order re-establishing
control over the distribution of coal,
making the director general of rail-
roads his agent, and re-establishing
the priority orders In effect during the
war. AT the same time, and to pre-
vent profiteering, the fuel administra-
tor issued orders re-establishing the
government maximum prices on btu
minOuS coal. The day the strike began
Mr.. Spencer put his organization into
effect throughout the country, and
from then on the problem was one
of distributing coal and looking after
the constantly decreasing stock of the
country.
On the Job Every Day.
The committee remained in practi-
cally continuous session every day of
the strike, including Sundays, and as
rapidly as kilograms and letters came
in. took immediate action.
Back of this committee and cooper
ating closely with it have been re-
gional and district local coal COM
miffnoS picLod In advance - A.
strike and established Immediately
after the strike began. On these re-
gional and local coal committees has
fallen very large share of the bur
den of handling the coal distribution
problems from day to day, and it is to
the credit of these committees that
they have had a minimum of clashes
with state or local authorities when
it is appreciated that on these COM
mitteeS fell many Of the duties exer-
cised by the fuel administration
through the war and when IT is appre-
ciated that these committees always
were limited in what they could do
BY the stocks of coal on hand, 1t will
DO AOdiALCu mat hOEh WIS Vi
the most difficult character.
One Of the chief difficulties In the
situation was the fact that conditions
throughout the United States were so
widely different that 1t was apparent
that it would he impossible to deal
with all sections of the country alike.
Therefore great Zeal of responsible.
ty was left with the regional directors
If railroads and with the regional and
Ocal coal COMMITTEES. However. some
general principles were laid Down i'm
nediately which were followed in
general way throughout the coal strike.
The preliminary rule was laid down
hat no coal should be given to any
consumer who had reserve supply.
md that coal should only be given TO
meet emergency needs.
Get Reports Daily.
In order to avoid long distance com
the rule was set up that
persons desiring coal should make APP
)licatiOn on the road ordinarily sup
dying them with coal and in order
hat the central coal committee should
,e kept constantly supplied with in
machinery was set up under
which each railroad should promptly
epOrt to the central coal committee
md to the regional coal committee the
lame, title, location and telephone ad-
lress Of the representative of that rail-
Dad in whom the whole coal question
would be conferred for that railroad
Summed up, the result of the
of the coal supply of the ma
ion by the government has been that
With a mobile supply at the beginning
f the strike of 100000 tons of coal
i the disposal Of the entire country.
nd a production which never reached |
% per cent of normal, with cold wealth |
r existing in most parts of the coun-
ry dhring part Of the strike, and |
lizzards in some parts Of the coun-
~ throughout most Of the strike. the |
II