The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1920-01-23
Uncle Sam Set Up His Own Coal Pile Soon Strike Began and
Kept RepIenshng II From Mines Which Continued to Work
Nation Able to Last Out the Six Weeks Through
Efficiency of Government Control
weeks Of the strike from 22,0O0,0OO
tons to 11,3750O0 tons.

weeks Of the strike from 220O0,0OO
tons to 11,375.0O0 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
a storage, however. the country would
have suffered much more than 1t did.
and II 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 1t 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 lof the
strike 1t was difficult in some parts of
the country to meet even these re-
trQuirements, due to the fact that princi-
pally in the middle West the stocks
became almost exhausted and 1t 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,
careful survey shows that, taken as
a whole. the country has stood re-
markably well the restrictions which
hadto be placed.
The action Of the government dur.
ing the strike which caused the great
est comment was the placing of restric-
tions in connection with the use Of hi
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 comlIittee 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-
Tations, had already been laid down
in many sections of the country. Prior
to the issuance Of these regulations
the fuel administrator had issued re-
quest that coal for light. neat and
DOWcT DC COHStTNeu HS HluCu - ISOo-
sible. Just as soon as the Indian
apolis settlement was reached the at
torney general. following out prior
Immediately notified the
railroad administration, and plans were
at once begun to modify restrictions.
with the result that within two days
after the strike was formally ended,
were issued to regional di-
rectors permitting them to remove the
as to- the furnishing Of
light, heat and power, and also permit
ting them to restore passenger trains
which had been taken Off as. a coal con-
measure.
The receipt Of the word from In
dlanapolis was also the signal for
the releasing OF Instructions already
for the turning Of empty coal
cars towards mines which were ex-
pected to begin operation in order to
transport the maximum production Of
all such mines at once.