The Red Cloud chief., 1920-01-22
Uncle Sam Set Up His Own Coal Pile as Soon as Strike Began and
Kept Replenishing It From Mines Which Continued to Work
Nation Able to Last Out the Six Weeks Through
Efficiency of Government Control.

tons to 11.375.000 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
q storage, however, the country would
have suffered much more than It did.
have looked after the emergency re-
qulrements 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
Wyoming and n 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 II was
necessary To restrict deliveries To the
hrst five classes, which included rail
roads, army and navy, together with
other departments of the government,
state and county departments and in
s%iitutions, public utilities, and retail
dealers, and toward the end of the
strike II was difficult I'm 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 II 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 this
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, n
careful survey shows that, taken Us
n whole. the country has stood re-
markably 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 bi.
luminous coal and coke I'm supplying
light, heat and power to stores, Office
buildings, manufacturing establish
ments. etc. These regulations were
put into effect by the railroad admin.
istration on the advice of the central
coal committee and under authority OF
the fuel administrator. They were put
into effect primarily as a coal con
%servation measure and because prior to
their issuance local regulations. some
times more stringent than these regu'
l%ations, had already been laid down
In many sections of the country. Prior
to the issuance of these regulations
the fuel administrator had issued Il re
quest that coal for light, heat and
power be conserved as much as pos
SlDle. just us SOOn MS me lnulin
apolis settlement was reached the at
torney general, following nut n priol
arrangement, Immediately notified tho
railroad administration, and plans were
at once begun to modify restrictions
with the result that within two days
after the strike was formally ended
instructions were issued to regional Ill
%rcctors permitting them to remove III,
restrictions as to the furnishing o
light, heat and power, and also permit
ting them Ia restore passenger trains
which had been taken off as a coal con
servation measure.
The receipt of the word from In
d~iahapOliS was also the signal foI
the releasing of instructions airead,
prepared for the turning of empty Goa
Hirs towards mines which were eS
pectcd to begin operation in order 4
transport the maximum production o
all such mines at once.