The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-01-22
HOW COAL SUPPLY WAS CARED
FOR DURING STRIKE OF MINERS


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
dent to go by. Being bound by no
precedents, it could go ahead in a
common-sense way and that is exactly
what it did.
Harry B. Spencer, director of divi-
sion OF purchases of the railroad adj
ministration, formerly vice president
Of the Southern railroad, and 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-
|
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-estabishing
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
mittees picked in advance of the
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 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 1t is appre-
ciated that these committees always
were limited in what they could do
by the stocks of coal on hand, it 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 it was apparent
that it would be impossible to deal
with all sections of the country alike.
Therefore a 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 down inn
mediately 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 APP
plication 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 to the central coal committee
and to the regional coal committee the
| name, title, location and telephone adj
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
| ton by the government has been that
with a mobile supply at the beginning
of the strike of 100000 tons of coal
at the disposal Of the entire country.
and a production which never reached
/ so per cent of normal, with cold wealth
er 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
1 with very little actual lack of coal by
householders, 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
end of the strike of more than 11.000.-
600 tons of coal which was available
for emergency railroad needs and for