New Mexico state record., 1920-01-09

On the JOB every Day.
The committee remained in practi,
cally continuous session every day of
the strike. including Sundays, and as
rapidly as telegrams and letters came
in. took Immediate action.
| Back of this committee and cooper
ating closely with it have been re-
mittees. picked in advance of The
strike and established Immediately
after the strike began. ON these re-
giona 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
ii 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, ii will
be realized that their work was of
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 il was apparent
that 1t would be impossible to deal
with all sections of the country alike.
Therefore n great deal of responsible
ity was left with the regional directors
of railroads and with the regional and
local coal COMMITTEES. However. some
general principles were laid Gown i'm
medlately which were followed In a
general way throughout the coal strike.
The preliminary rule was laid down
that no coal should be given to any
consumer who had reserve supply,
and that coal should only be given to
meet emergency needs.
Get Reports Daily.
In order to avoid long distance com
municatiOn. the rule was set up that
persons desiring coal should make ap-
plcation on the road ordinarily sup
plying them with coal and in order
that the central coal committee should
be kept constantly supplied with in
formation machinery was set up under
which each railroad should promptly
report 10 the central coal committee
and TO the regional coal committee the
name, title. location and telephone ad
dress of the representative of that rail-
road IN whom the whole coal question
would be centered for that railroad |
Summed up. the result of the
handling of the coal supply Of the ma
tion by the government has been that
with a mobile supply at the beginning |
Of the strike of 22,O00,0O tons of coal |
at the disposal OF the entire country.
and n production which never reached |
20 per cent of normal. with cold wealth |
or existing in most parts of the coun- |
try during part Of the strike. and |
billiards in some parts of the coun- |
try throughout most Of the strike, the |
nation was able to last out six weeks |
with very little actual lack of coal by
with practically all pub
lie utilities supplied with sufficient
coal TO meet emergency needs, with |
very few industries actually closed
down. although many would have had
to close down had the strike continued
much longer and with a reserve stock
in the hands of the railroads at the
md of the strike of more than II OOO
DO0 tons of coal which was available
for emergency railroad needs and foi
The emergency needs of governmental
of public utilities and re-
failers supplying coal TO domestic con-